Decline
by Aerika-san
Summary: Allen's slipping, and nothing he does can hide it any more. They want him taken away, locked up until he finally disappears and the Fourteenth takes his place. Yullen. Mrated epilogue now up. Read Chap17 at own risk! Chap18 prologue for sequel! X
1. Chapter 1

Well, what do you know- I have written something! This was orignally going to be a one shot, then one became two , and two became three and I'm buggred if I know where it's going to end!

Nothing has changed- I am still a poor student. I cannot afford to replace the milk that some asswipe stole from the fridge in the communal kitchen, and thus do not own D. G-M. K? K.

* * *

Allen stared at the mirror, an ugly expression twisting his usually pleasant face. He reached pale fingers out to his reflection, touching the cold glass, tracing the outline of his face that all at once seemed both familiar and new to him. The shadow lurking behind him grinned in response, but the features were nearly lost, the shadowy silhouette almost overlapping his own reflection. He sighed dejectedly, letting his hand fall to his side, away from the glass, but he didn't look away from the mirror, instead cataloguing the old-new characteristics of his face. His eyes no longer held the innocent shine they had when he first joined the Order. It wasn't such a long time ago, but the sparkle, the joy, the _life _that they had contained, even just a few short weeks ago was missing. They were flat, blank, empty. Jaded. No longer naï'd seen too much in such a short time to still be untainted by life. He'd once thought that life could not change him- he'd already seen so much even before he joined the Order, a childhood on the streets made that inevitable, but he knew different now.

Though somehow, he also knew that this lacklustre expression was not all down to him. _He _was there too. Lurking in his head, sharing his space, his _body…_

As much as he denied it, as much as he kept smiling and pretending that nothing had changed, it _had, _it still _was. _He didn't know if anyone else had spotted it- he rather suspected that if anyone had, it would be Lavi, sharp eyed apprentice bookman that he was, but if the redhead had noticed anything, he'd not mentioned it to Allen yet. Perhaps he'd got away with it after all.

He met the cold cynical eyes of his reflection, trying not to flinch at the lack of expression he saw there, on his own face. As he raised his head, the warm sunlight flitted across his face and for the briefest of moments his grey eyes flashed gold.

0o0o0o0o0

Kanda caught sight of a rather despondent looking Allen Walker trailing into the dining hall, his hair in disarray and his clothes rumpled and shirt untucked. It was strange to see Allen as anything but neat and tidy- something that had been handed down from General Cross, who had passed on his slightly obsessive-compulsive need for cleanliness and order to his apprentice in their travels together, no doubt. Even during his time in Headquarters and away from the red-headed general, it was rare to see Allen as anything other than well turned-out.

The white haired exorcist dragged himself to the food hatch and placed his order, collecting the usual mountain of food before slumping to an empty table. Kanda observed Allen discreetly as he ate by himself, more picking at his food than eating it. Normally the younger exorcist was not one to refuse company, but his whole stance was screaming that he wished to be alone. His shoulders hung wearily, as though he was carrying a heavy burden, and not once did he raise his gaze from where it rested on the table.

Now Kanda was not normally one to be concerned about anyone else, but lately he had become aware of the changes occurring with the white haired teen, changes that no one else had seemed to notice. Perhaps they saw what they wanted to, while Kanda had no such expectations, but whatever the reason, it was Kanda Yuu who was the one to spot Allen Walker slowly buckling under the weight of whatever demons hounded him.

He watched as Allen frowned slightly before looking up and letting his gaze sweep the room, as though he felt eyes on him. Kanda dropped his own eyes to his cup, not wanting to be caught staring at the other exorcist. Unexpectedly Allen stood, his meal only half finished and left the dining hall, looking like he was on the verge of breaking, and Kanda came to an abrupt decision.

Placing his still full cup of green tea on the table in front of him, he swung his legs out from under it and stalked from the room, his long graceful strides carrying him after the departed exorcist.

0o0o0o0o0

Allen sat at the table in the dining hall, staring morosely at the plates in front of him and trying to convince himself that he really _could_ eat everything before him while his stomach told him in no uncertain terms that if he attempted to put anything else near his mouth it was going to rebel in a spectacularly disgusting fashion. Or maybe it was the other way round, and his stomach was trying to get him to eat while his mind threatened to mutiny. Either way, if he carried on eating he was going to be sick, and he couldn't allow that to happen- he had to remain as inconspicuous as possible.

He clutched his left hand into a fist beneath the table, glad for once that no one was sitting nearby. He supposed he should have been upset that he was being avoided like the plague, but right now he couldn't bring himself to care. His whole rigid posture demanded that he be left to sit by himself, and though he usually enjoyed the company of other people, right now he welcomed the solitude. The less people around, the less people he had to pretend that nothing was wrong to.

He had never thought his acting skills were particularly good. Though he knew that he was able to maintain a perfect poker face, real life demanded more than the ability to keep up a blank façade, and to be honest the daily need to be happy and smiling was wearing him down just as much as trying to conceal just how far the Noah was encroaching into his mind did.

The lack of reaction confused him a little, not sure whether to be grateful or not that no one seemed to notice his daily struggle to be nice and kind and positive when all he wanted to do was curl up in bed and _scream_ for someone to pay attention to the fact that he was slowly losing his mind, quite literally. Was it too much to ask for just _one_ person to realise that he was losing himself to this _thing_ inside him?

The one thought that kept him from seeking out someone to confide in was that maybe they _did_ know, and the reason that no one had confronted him about it was the fact that they simply didn't _care_ about what was happening to him- an inevitable future that they couldn't change, so why bother to try? It couldn't be so hard to notice, could it?

He felt eyes on him as the hair at the back of his neck tingled, but when he looked up he couldn't see anyone who was even glancing in his general direction. He hardly knew anybody in here as more than someone he'd once said a passing greeting to, in fact the only one he could identify as more than a faintly recognisable face was Kanda, and the older exorcist was merely glaring (as usual) into his cup. Not that Kanda would be looking at him anyway.

With a sigh he laid down his fork, knowing that he wasn't going to be able to eat any more, and made his way out of the dining hall, turning left down the corridor. His thoughts swirled dangerously in his head, making it hard to think at all. He raised his eyes from the ground beneath his feet and caught sight of his reflection in one of the small stained glass windows. The shadow leered at him from its position behind him and he felt the barely suppressible urge to smash the bloody thing to pieces so he wouldn't have to look at it. Instead he clenched the hard cold stone of the window sill in his hands, bowing his head and trying to get his harsh ragged breathing back under control. He wasn't doing very well at calming himself down, and looked up, glaring all his hate and anger at the reflection staring back at him.

0o0o0o0o0

He didn't have to go far before he found the object of his search.

Allen was standing at a window not far from the dining hall, leaning heavily on his arms as his hands gripped the sill unnecessarily hard. No doubt the knuckles of his right hand were clenched white under the glove.

He didn't appear to have noticed Kanda's approach, his grey eyes fixed firmly on his reflection that was split with the bright colours of the stained glass. Whatever he saw there was not favoured with a pleasant expression- the glare was full of loathing and Allen's face was twisted in a bitter smile.

"Moyashi?"

Allen visibly jumped, startled by the samurai's silent approach, but he didn't turn to look at the other exorcist, nor did he correct the hated nickname. "What do you want?" he asked. His words were meant to sound snappish, but all that came across was his extreme tiredness. Having not achieved his goal with his voice, he turned to the dark haired man and attempted a glare, which also fell flat. His shadow-rimmed eyes and exhausted face did not carry the expression well.

Kanda swept dark eyes over him, taking in every sign of fatigue and weakness before meeting the barely tolerant silver gaze. "You're not looking after yourself" he said in an inscrutable voice.

Allen raised an eyebrow questioningly, the implied concern in Kanda's words confusing him a little. He wasn't sure how to respond to that. In all his time at the Order, he'd never heard even the slightest trace of worry come from the older man. "What's it to you?" he asked eventually when studying Kanda's unreadable face heralded no answers.

Kanda's face twitched slightly, as though he suddenly realized how out of character it was for him to be expressing concern over another person. "You'll be useless if you die because you're too stupid to take care of yourself" he said in his usual biting tone, though the words seemed awkward on his tongue.

Allen smiled slightly, a sad, wistful expression that passed before it had chance to settle on his face. He turned back to the window, and whatever he saw there affected him deeply, the shutters falling over his eyes and all expression wiped from his features.

"I'm not myself, not anymore."

The words were whispered, the sound nothing but the faint trace of noise on the air, but Kanda heard it, a frown flickering across his forehead as the defeatist tone and hopeless words registered in his mind.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" he snapped, grasping Allen's shoulders and spinning him away from the reflective surface of the window, holding him steady as he felt the slighter man stumble.

Allen didn't immediately look at him, preferring to keep his eyes fixed on the floor even as the hands on his shoulders shook him violently.

"What. The. Fuck. Are. You. Talking. About?" Kanda growled, his voice low and threatening. "You better fucking talk, or I swear I'll beat it out of you!"

"Please do" came the muttered response as Allen finally looked up at him with a cold blank expression. "Do us all a favour."

Kanda dropped his hands in surprise, having not expected such a response from the usually optimistic bean sprout. "What..?" He stared down at Allen as the hairs at the back of his neck prickled in warning, though about what he couldn't say, and his hand automatically drifted to Mugen belted to his side.

Allen watched movement and seemed amused by it. "Go ahead, I won't stop you."

Kanda whipped his hand back, unsure as to why he had reached for the sword in the first place. He looked down at his hand for a moment before bringing it back into a fist and punching Allen in the face. "What the hell is wrong with you?" he snarled, watching the bead of blood gather at Allen's split lip before being wiped away, staining the pristine white of the glove red. Allen looked at it interestedly, licking his lip and erasing the evidence. "Huh, still human after all" he said quietly, gingerly touching the small wound with probing fingers.

Kanda huffed out a frustrated breath, watching Allen examine the cut gently. He sucked his lower lip into his mouth, apparently savouring the metallic taste, his eyes sliding shut and a slowly spreading expression of calm sliding across his face. Despite his apparent apathy, Kanda was slightly worried about this strange development, and against his better judgement, reached out a hand and clasped Allen's shoulder, giving him a light shake. Allen's eyes snapped open and something in them made Kanda withdraw his hand quickly, a frown flashing on his face before it was gone and the impassive mask was back.

Allen looked up at him, and there was nothing unusual shining from his eyes. He looked concerned about Kanda's reaction before seeming to realize what he had been doing before the touch had brought him back. His hand flew to his chest, landing over the newest scars caused by his own innocence as he turned away, shoulders hunched and posture defensive, rejecting everything around him.

Kanda said nothing. He wasn't entirely sure what he _could_ say. Eventually he stepped closer to Allen's back, watching him carefully in the window, waiting for some form of reaction, but Allen's eyes were clamped tightly shut, a faint tremble shaking his stiff shoulders and his hands gripping the windowsill so hard that the force of his left hand had already cracked the aged stone.

"What the hell is happening to you?" he asked quietly, not really expecting an answer. He reached out, almost tentatively, wrapping his long fingers over Allen's quivering shoulder. He couldn't say what had made him make the gesture, but even he found he couldn't just remain emotionless and unfeeling as Allen stood there and tore himself to pieces for reasons that Kanda could only barely understand.

Allen's eyes met his in the glass of the colourful window. "Why are you still here?" the younger exorcist asked, his words cold but the tone honestly perplexed, as though he couldn't understand why Kanda hadn't just walked away.

Kanda sighed and for a moment his blank expression slipped. He looked tired, conflicted, as though puzzled by his own actions. "The hell if I know" he mumbled, but his hand remained where it was on the shorter youth's shoulder and his eyes did not leave the pair of silver ones watching him via the window.

Allen smiled softly and turned to face him. Kanda dropped his hand and stared down at him, clearly at a loss as to what was going on.

Allen leant forwards, resting his forehead against Kanda's shoulder, heaving a deep sigh. Neither moved, their arms hanging limply at their sides.

"Thank you" Allen said at length, leaning back a little so that he could look at Kanda's face.

"What for?" Kanda asked, his arms moving to clasp Allen's shoulders without any conscious command to do so.

Allen raised his right hand, laying it over Kanda's where it rested on his shoulder, giving it a brief squeeze before removing the limb entirely and stepping back. "For noticing" he said quietly, dropping Kanda's hand and turning away, walking back to his room feeling a bit lighter, just knowing that someone in the whole Order cared, if only a little.


	2. Chapter 2

Hello! I haven't slept since thursday so in a fit of insomniac energy I got writing. So since I'm now 2 chapters ahead, I thought you deserved this now instead of later. Runs around in a mad panic "I need sleep!!!"

* * *

Since his encounter with Allen a week ago in the corridor 'round the corner from the dining hall, Kanda had been feeling rather confused.

He wasn't entirely sure what had changed between them, or even if anything had at all, but it seemed that since then Allen's mood had lifted slightly. His smiles, though rare, were at least _real_ and his shoulders were no longer slumped in defeat all the time.

Kanda did not know whether he had anything to do with the improved disposition of the younger exorcist, but he found that he hoped that he had.

However, he still couldn't understand _why_ it had happened at all. As far as he knew Allen was not one prone to bouts of depression, but he had seen it, there in his eyes as he thanked him, _thanked __him__- Kanda!_ for bullying him into… into what exactly? Allen hadn't admitted anything, hadn't offered any insight into what was bothering him… but thanked him, purely for _noticing_ that something _might_ be.

That concerned him a little, not that he would ever admit it. Why had no one else noticed these changes? He wasn't one to share more than a passing glance with the younger exorcist, save for the less-than-frequent missions they shared. After all, who in their right mind would pair up two exorcists that were as likely to kill each other as Akuma?

Lavi. Lavi should have noticed. It was the damn rabbit's _job_ to notice these things. Maybe he had noticed and just wasn't saying anything.

Kanda's scowl darkened. Somehow that didn't make any sense. The redhead was rather fond of Allen, and surely would have said something to _somebody_. Kanda often heard things that he'd never want to even entertain the thought of thanks to Lavi's all-seeing Bookman eye and rather obnoxious mouth. _So_, he thought_, Lavi mustn't have spotted it… or,_ he added mentally, knowing that Lavi was more in tune with the ins and outs of the Order than he was,_ he knows exactly what's going on…_

0o0o0o0o0

If he was spotted in this situation again, he was going to be labelled as narcissistic, he mused as he was distracted from his trek down to the cafeteria by the flash of the shadow in the reflective surface of the window. As usual he couldn't stop the urge to stand and study his reflection. The shadow seemed darker today, and it overlapped his own features even more than usual.

Why was there even a window here? The dark dank corridor he had found himself lost in did not benefit from the meagre light offered by the small pane. Allen glanced up at the ceiling, casting a mocking sneer at the sky as though the derisive expression could transverse the distance through the ancient stone of Headquarters and reach the heavens. _Someone up there hates me._

He turned his eyes back to the window in time to catch the tail end of a wide, scornful grin that flashed across the dark, yet expressive face of the shadow.

The voice whispered across his mind teasingly, soft as a caress but layered with danger.

'_Allen'_

"What the hell do you want from me?"

There was no reply, just the flicker of a broad white grin and the narrowing of blank white eyes.

Allen couldn't help it, frustration and fear combining and multiplying in his head until he blindly threw out a fist and destroyed the surface that the shadow taunted him from.

The gentle sound of tinkling glass cleared the haze from his mind. Allen looked down at his right fist, cringing at the bloody knuckles that only began to hurt once he'd seen them. There were shards of the ornate window stuck in his flesh, decorating his pale red washed skin with fragments of blues and greens. He cursed to himself and laughed, an unhealthy sound that worried him slightly at the ease with which it fell from is lips. "Couldn't have used the left hand, huh Walker?"

He looked at the broken window guiltily, he'd smashed enough windows and mirrors in these last few torturous weeks to know that it wouldn't take long for it to come to someone's attention, and he'd rather not be around when the damage was discovered. Besides, his hand was slowly leaking blood onto the floor, and that was never a good thing. He pulled off his grey vest hurriedly, wrapping it around the injured appendage carefully so as to not press the glass further into his skin and collect the steady trickle of blood escaping from the worst of the wounds. He'd need tweezers to get some of the debris out, so decided to head back to his room in order to patch himself up.

The only problem was, he was still lost.

_Perfect. This day just keeps getting better and better_ he thought bitterly as he stomped down the corridor, keen to come across something that might point him in the right direction. He hoped he'd find it quickly too- he wasn't losing that much blood, but he _was_ still hungry, having never made it as far as the cafeteria, and now the adrenalin was fading he felt a little light headed.

He reached a junction and looked around, honestly having no idea which was to go. He checked his hand, noticing for the first time that the glass wasn't exactly clean. Well, he supposed it served him right for smashing up such a remote window, but knowing that didn't stop him from cringing at the state of the glass, covered in who-knew-what and depositing said who-knew-what into his body.

_Wouldn't be the first parasite I get saddled with_.He looked around again, but the motion proved too much and his vision swam sickeningly. _Oh, ok, bad idea. Maybe I should sit down for a minute…_

With a slight groan he slid down the wall, sitting in a crumpled heap at the bottom of it. Just a few minutes to calm the nausea and he'd be able to be on his way again. When he attempted to carry out his plan, however, his body immediately vetoed any further movement in favour of not passing out. Though that still seemed to be a distinct possibility, given the way his vision was greying at the edges.

_Well bugger me_ was the rather fatalistic thought that followed this realisation. _I hope this end of Headquarters isn't _too_ far-flung. I'd hate to think how long it'll be until someone else gets lost._

0o0o0o0o0

Kanda was minding his own business, having decided that whatever was going on with the stupid sprout was really none of his concern, heading down a distant corridor that eventually led to a back door that allowed him to sneak outside to train without being spotted when he was rather unceremoniously tripped up.

He managed to avoid complete embarrassment by planting his hand against the wall and catching himself before his face met floor, and spun angrily, ready to ream whoever thought that tripping him was a good idea. The harsh words that were about to jump from his mouth stalled in confusion when his eyes fell on the figure sitting on the floor in a rather undignified heap.

He prodded Allen none-too-gently with his foot. "Oi, Moyashi."

A pair of slightly hazy silver eyes rose to his face, blinking like they were trying to focus. "Oh, Kanda. Fancy meetin' you 'ere."

Kanda scowled. "What the fuck are you doing on the floor Moyashi?"

"'s Allen" was the reply, though it lacked its usual venom. "An' I'm sittin'" he said, like he thought that Kanda was being stupid.

Despite himself, Kanda was intrigued. "Should I even ask why?"

Allen gave a rather deranged chuckle, waving a hand in the air casually. "I don' know. I jus' am. Go' lost" he added unnecessarily, as though he'd be down this random corridor for any other reason

"Hn" Kanda made to step over him and continue on his way, but as he put his foot down on the other side of Allen it slipped a little, as though the surface was wet. He looked up, half expecting to see a leaky ceiling or open window, but could see no apparent source for the puddle. He scowled again, looking back down to the prostrate bean sprout. "Why is the floor wet? You spill something? Clumsy as well as stupid?"

The expression on Allen's face suggested he was attempting a glare, but failing abysmally. "No" he replied shortly "I bled on't."

"Che" Kanda retorted and started to walk on before he was infected by the Moyashi's stupidity. He'd only a couple of strides when he pulled up short, finally processing what Allen had actually said. He turned back around, his hair swinging behind him as he came back to stand at Allen's side. The younger man looked up in a dazed sort of way as Kanda's shadow fell across him. "Wha'?"

Without replying Kanda knelt down and touched two fingers to the stain on the floor, bringing them to his eyes to see better. "What the fuck? What did you do?"

Allen blinked at him slowly, but didn't respond.

Trying to hold onto his temper Kanda took a deep steadying breath. There was something wrong of Allen couldn't even work up a retort. "Where are you bleeding from?"

Allen just stared at him as though he'd never seen anything like him before, before a small frown twisted his forehead and he waved his right hand at him feebly. Kanda grabbed the limb round the wrist, seeing the embedded glass. "What the fuck did you do?" he asked again, but didn't really expect an answer, so he was surprised when the hand was carefully extracted from his grip.

"Had 'n acciden'" Allen mumbled, looking like words cost him more than he could afford. "Be 'kay. You can go."

"Don't be an idiot; nobody comes down here, someone as weak as you will be dead before they find you."

"Why do you care?" Allen asked his eyes drooping

"I don't" Kanda said shortly, heaving the younger man to his feet, being careful of the sluggishly bleeding hand that he draped over his shoulder. "I just don't want your corpse stinking up the place."

"Thanks" Allen said, though Kanda couldn't tell whether he was being sincere or sarcastic.

0o0o0o0o0

Allen realised he must have fallen asleep, or passed out, at some point, because when he opened his eyes he was in an unfamiliar room that he was sure he'd never been in before. He tried to sit up but his hand protested loudly at having weight put on it and he groaned quietly, his voice catching in his throat.

"You get blood on my bed and I'll fucking kill you myself" a voice informed him from his right, accompanied by the sound of water being wrung out of a cloth. The rough material was then applied to Allen's hand, wiping away the blood with perfunctory strokes.

"What are you doing?" Allen asked, his head feeling a lot clearer than it had earlier, watching as Kanda cleaned the blood from his skin. "Why am I in your room?"

Kanda stopped what he was doing and raised a sardonic eyebrow at him. "You wanted to go to the infirmary with this?"

Allen shook his head and sighed. "No. I'm sorry."

"Che. Hold still" was all the warning he was given before Kanda began pulling fragments of glass from the back of Allen's hand. Allen tried to ignore the sharp yanking as Kanda none-too-gently tugged the shards free from the dried blood that had crusted around them. Though he was having more trouble ignoring the feeling of Kanda's warm palm wrapped around his wrist.

"Why are you helping me?"

Kanda didn't look up as he pulled the last piece of window free. "You really are an idiot. Some of these need stitches."

"I'll manage" Allen said, deciding not to draw attention to the fact that Kanda was ignoring his question.

Kanda just looked at him like he was stupid. "You need to go to the infirmary."

"I… can't" Allen replied, his gaze falling to the floor. The last thing he wanted was for people to think he'd totally lost it; even of it was somewhat true.

Kanda let out a sigh that sounded rather like a growl. Truthfully he had no idea what had possessed him to bring Allen to his room. Maybe he should have just dumped him somewhere for someone else to find and let it become their problem. The problem was, no matter how much he tried to deny it, and he tried _very _hard, he knew he couldn't have just left him to bleed out somewhere else. There was obviously something very wrong with the damn Moyashi, and he'd be dammed if he wasn't going to find out what it was. If only to use it as ammunition in the future. Having the sprout be in his debt didn't sound like such a bad idea. "Che, do what you like. Do it yourself for all I fucking care, just get the fuck out of my room."

"Good job I'm ambidextrous then" Allen joked, easing his arm from Kanda's grip as he got to his feet wincing a little as fresh blood welled from the cuts on his hand and ran down his fingers. He re-wrapped his hand in his blood-soaked vest and headed towards the door. "Thanks for the help, Kanda" he said as he reached for the door, but had only got it open a couple of inches before a pale hand landed on the wood, shutting it firmly with a snap.

Kanda closed his eyes, not really believing that he was going to go through with this.

Allen looked at him in confusion. "What..?" Hadn't Kanda demanded he leave a moment ago?

"Idiot, you can't go out there like that" the other exorcist gestured at the nearly brown dried blood on his shirt and the steadily spreading bloodstain on the vest clamped around his right hand. "You'll collapse and die before you find your way back to your room."

Allen frowned but didn't argue back. Whatever Kanda was saying, his tone did not match it. Instead, he raised an eyebrow challengingly. "So, what do you propose I do about it?"

Kanda pushed him roughly back to his bed until Allen landed in an undignified heap on the mattress.

"Stay."

Allen obeyed, if only out of curiosity. He was the one supposedly undergoing a personality change, but here was Kanda, being all… nice. Well as nice as Kanda ever got anyway. A first aid kit and a small black pouch landed next to him on the bed followed by a small bottle of a clear liquid. Allen opened the pouch curiously to find it was a small well stocked sewing kit. Without waiting for further instruction he picked his way through the needles until he found one to suit his purpose. Wordlessly Kanda took it from him and handed over a cotton pad soaked with whatever liquid was in the bottle. A tentative sniff revealed some sort of alcohol, though since Allen was no expert when it came to spirits he couldn't identify it more than that. Had it been red wine however, he could have probably identified not only the brand but the year as well. Something else to thank Cross for.

He decided not to question why Kanda had such a thing in his room as he thoroughly cleaned the largest of the wounds, wincing a little at the sting from the alcohol as it came into contact with the cuts. A glance out of the corner of his eyes revealed that Kanda was soaking the needle and a length of white thread in more of the liquid.

The older man caught him looking and smirked, handing over the needle and thread. The expression in his face said that he clearly expected Allen to balk at sewing his own flesh closed. Allen took the needle from his without comment, though he wasn't sure if he should be insulted that Kanda had chosen white thread for him to patch himself up with. Noticing Kanda had already tied a small neat knot in the end of the thread Allen proceeded to stitch the first gash closed, managing to withhold all but the worst of the winces as he pulled the wound closed. He tied it off carefully before moving on to the next one, but by the time he got to the fourth one his left hand had begun to cramp and tremble slightly. He jumped, startled from his intense concentration, when Kanda's hand closed around his own ungloved left one, stilling the shaking limb. Allen just stared at their hands in confusion, not understanding why Kanda was holding his hand. His _left _hand.

"Um…"

Kanda seemed to realise he was still holding Allen's hand and let it go rather quickly, but not before he liberated the needle from Allen's stiff fingers. "Stupid idiot, you're going to make it worse" he muttered before finishing closing the wounds, not looking up at Allen once while he did it, though he could feel the younger exorcist's eyes on him the whole time. When he was done he immediately began clearing up while Allen lightly bandaged his hand, just enough so the stitches were protected but the bandage couldn't be seen through his glove. When the Japanese man had returned everything to its rightful place he turned round to find Allen watching him thoughtfully.

He grunted rudely, a little embarrassed by the blatant regard. "What ?"

Allen cocked his head to one side, pulling his gloves from his back pocket and siding them on, not taking his eyes off the older man. "I should be asking you that. I keep asking you why you're doing this, but you haven't answered me yet. Why is it that you're helping me Kanda? I thought you hated me."

"Che" Kanda turned his back on the figure on the bed. "You're a stupid stubborn brat who can't look after himself. Now fuck off back to your own room, I'm tired of your ugly face."

Allen just smiled, a small tightening of his lips as he got to his feet. "Thanks Kanda. I don't hate you either."

* * *

Mah, all those people that put me on alert but didn't review! How am I supposed to know what you like/dislike about a fic without FEEDBACK!! O_O Please? Pretty please? With a cherry on top? And a HUGE thanks to those who did review, I was really pleased with the positive response the first chapter got, so I guess we'll see where this thing goes huh? I know what I'll be spending my holidays doing… better go and by a new notebook…


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks for all the reviews people! You made me very happy!! And so I give you this, on the most sacred of birthdays. And I'm vanishing for a while cos I'm off to Download festival to apprechiate the thing that is rock! YAY!!!!!! Hopefully this will tide you over.

* * *

After his last encounter with a reflective surface Allen had tried to avoid looking into anything that might show the shadow of the fourteenth lurking behind him, and for the most part succeeded, though his strange behaviour had started to attract more attention, so much so that Inspector Link had taken to tailing him closer than he had since he was first assigned the task.

Of course, this did nothing to improve Allen's frame of mind, and the more his mood darkened, the more rumours and speculation began to spread through the Order.

Naturally, it was the world's worst kept secret that the memories of the fourteenth Noah were embedded in the mind of one Allen Walker, but everyone had assumed- hoped, _prayed_- that the one exorcist that seemed the least likely to fall into sin would be able to hold the presence at bay.

The more time passed, the more obvious it became that Allen _was_ falling. It was never openly talked about, of course, but even those not particularly close to the white haired exorcist noticed the increasingly less subtle changes in his behaviour, and the continuous, stubborn presence of the agent of the higher echelons of the Order.

0o0o0o0o0

"It's getting worse, Supervisor" the calm emotionless voice of the inspector informed the Chinese man sitting opposite him. "Walker cannot be allowed to remain in Headquarters any longer."

Komui shook his head in denial. "I'm not sure I agree, Inspector Link. Allen Walker is not a threat to this establishment, and the sooner that you and your superiors come to terms with that, the better it will be for everyone involved." Dammit, he shouldn't be arguing with this man, Leverrier's peon, but he couldn't sit idly by and let them rip Allen from the Order.

Link didn't seem fazed by Komui's raised voice or sharp tone, instead fixing him with cold eyes. "Allen Walker may not be a threat to the Order, supervisor, but the Fourteenth is, and the longer the Walker remains out of custody, the likelihood of that threat coming forth increases."

"Custody?" Komui echoed in disbelief. "You're going to _lock him up_? Like a _criminal_?" If word of this got out to the residents of HQ… there would be hell to pay- Central could well face an uprising…

Link frowned slightly, the most expression he'd shown since entering the room. "What else did you think we would do? Allow him a free rein? You should be grateful that he is not being executed on sight."

Komui felt himself growing increasingly angry, "so instead of a quick death you're offering him a slow one?" He huffed out an irritated breath. "Allen wants to remain active for as long as possible, to complete missions and do his duty before he loses himself completely, and you're denying him that chance if you take him away. I know for a fact that Allen would rather die than sit locked up in some cell waiting for the Noah to take over."

Link said nothing, but his posture shifted a little, an unconscious gesture that revealed his unease.

Komui gaped at him. "You… you're waiting for the Noah to take over!"

"The Fourteenth's knowledge is priceless."

"The Fourteenth's knowledge will cost the life of one of my exorcists!"

"These exorcists belong to the Pope! They are not yours; they live to serve the Vatican in anyway deemed fit."

The Chinese man scowled, angered beyond belief. "They are people, living, breathing people, not tools" he said, his voice flat and calm. He was well past hot, burning rage, settling into cold fury. These people were _not_ tools to be controlled at the whim of a distant group of men. This man was talking about his friends, _his sister_, like they were expendable- only living to dance to their tune.

"They are exorcists" Link said, as though that settled everything. "I have a report to make; I trust you will inform Walker? Make sure you impress on him the severity of what is occurring. If he is as loyal to the Order as you suggest, then he will not shirk his duty. We depart tomorrow."

Komui shook his head in disbelief as the inspector swept from the office, shutting the door firmly and sending cool zephyrs across the room, ruffling the paper strewn across the floor. What on Earth did he do now?

0o0o0o0o0

Allen fidgeted uncertainly as he sat on the couch in Komui's office, rubbing the healing gashes on his right hand beneath the usual white glove without realising what he was doing. The very air in Komui's cluttered office had his nerves on edge, and the anxious expression on the supervisor's face did nothing to reassure him that he was about to receive good news.

"Allen," Komui began after several more tense minutes, "Central has… decided that you are too much of… of a risk to stay here any longer."

Allen just blinked at him stupidly. "I'm sorry… what?"

Komui sighed heavily. "Leverrier has issued an order for you to be detained indefinitely away from Headquarters, saying that the presence of the Fourteenth has progressed so far that you have become a danger to the Order, and as such should be removed and confined until further notice."

Allen swallowed tightly. "They're… they want to lock me up?" He made a small noise of disbelief when Komui nodded solemnly. "But…" and he looked so hopelessly lost in that moment that Komui was forcibly reminded that the exorcist before him that usually seemed so strong was still nothing more than a child. "But I'm still in control" he said helplessly, imploring Komui with his gaze to tell him that this was all some cruel 9gn

Komui's face twisted in an unpleasant grimace. "They want you locked up so that if" _when_ hung unspoken in the air "the Noah _does_ take control, he is already in captivity."

"They want to use the memories of the Fourteenth to fight the Earl?"

"So I believe, but that is beside the point. I have no intention of letting them take you."

Allen frowned. "No, I can't let you put yourself at risk for me, your position here is too important to jeopardize for one person."

Komui slapped his palm on the desk in an uncharacteristic display of anger. "Dammit Allen, my duty is to the people in the Order, not to the damn bureaucrats that sit around a table and play around with their lives. We've got to get you out of here, tonight."

"And what? I spend the rest of my life on the run? What happens when the Fourteenth finally does take over? You'll have another Noah on your hands then, one you could have prevented ever appearing."

"If you truly believe that you will be a risk to the people you care about, I trust you'll do the right thing" Komui said simply. "But I am not about to send you off with those snakes. God only knows what they'll do to you. They want the Noah, and they don't care what they'll have to do to you or your body to get at him."

Allen lowered his gaze. He didn't want to be carted away like some lab experiment, to spend the short time he had left in captivity- he wanted to do something with the time he had left- to prove that his existence wasn't for nothing. But to abandon the Order, his friends, his entire life at Headquarters… "I don't want to leave" he whispered desolately.

Komui smiled sadly in response. "I'm afraid you have little choice, Allen. You either leave tonight on your own, or in custody tomorrow."

"What will I do?"

"I hope you will continue to fight against the Earl. Just because you are not with the Order doesn't mean you aren't still an exorcist." The supervisor rearranged his beret absently. "It'll be tough, but I know you'll manage. I'm sure suspicions will run rife at first for us here once you've gone, but once it quietens down I'll find some way to contact you. Just stay alive 'til then."

Allen wrapped his arms around himself dejectedly. "I can't say goodbye, can I?"

"No, Allen, I'm afraid not. We have to get you out of here as soon as possible without Link noticing anything. I've set a distraction to go off shortly; it'll clear the Ark room for you. I don't care where you go, just get away from here as fast as possible." He made a face as though going over a list in his head. "Johnny packed some stuff for you, obviously we couldn't risk running into Link in your room, but he managed to get some things together… I think the best thing you can do now is head down to the canteen and get something to eat. Remember, don't say anything, to anyone."

Allen nodded. "I won't, don't worry."

"When the alarms go off, get straight to the Ark. Your case is already down there waiting." Komui stood, walking round his cluttered desk and standing in front of Allen, hands on his shoulders before pulling him into a rough hug. "Look after yourself. I'll contact you when it's safe to do so."

Allen nodded, pulling back. "I will. Thank you, for everything." He turned to go but Komui's voice stopped him.

"I'll need your coat, Allen."

A brief look of pain crossed the exorcist's face as he slid his arms out of his black and silver coat, handing it to Komui wordlessly. He gave the older man a small, heartbreakingly sad smile before turning abruptly and leaving the office.

0o0o0o0o0

"Hey Sweetie, what can I get for you today?" Jerry beamed as his favourite customer appeared at the hatch to the kitchens.

Allen smiled in response, considering his options carefully before rattling off a list of all the things that he would likely not find readily available on the run.

Jerry gave a wide grin when he heard the order, which seemed even larger than had been usual lately. "Alright, I'll get right on that!"

With a word of thanks Allen stood to the side as he waited, looking over the other people in the dining hall fondly. It was hard to keep the saddened look off his face as he realised that he might never see these people again after today, but he knew that his freedom relied on remaining as positive looking as possible. Luckily he hadn't been all that cheerful lately so if someone did notice that he was less than happy at the moment they wouldn't pay too much attention to it.

"Here you go!" Jerry exclaimed exuberantly as he presented Allen's order with a flourish.

"Thanks Jerry, you're the best!" Allen said as he collected his meal and turned to find somewhere to sit. He spotted the familiar red head of hair at a nearby table and made his way over to sit with Lavi.

"Hey Moyashi-chan!" Lavi greeted as Allen slid onto the bench opposite him. "Haven't seen you around much lately, what have you been up to?"

"I've been around" Allen said around his first mouthful. "You know Link- he's had me up to my eyeballs in paperwork. And I'm not even sure _why_! All I know is he has me doing _his_ work!"

Lavi laughed at him before falling silent and just watching him as he ate. It was rather unnerving actually. Allen made a 'what?' noise around his current mouthful. Lavi shook his head and leaned his chin on his hand, elbow propped on the table as he considered him thoughtfully. "Are you okay? I mean, really? You seem happier than you have been lately, did something good happen?"

Allen just frowned at him. _Dammit, he'd been over compensating!_ He lowered his fork and leaned forward conspiratorially. "Tell me something Lavi, who do you see sitting at this table?"

Lavi gaped at him unattractively. "Uh… you?"

"Exactly. _Just_ me."

"Ah," Lavi sat back with a grin. "No Two-spots."

Allen returned the grin, finding it came with only a little conscious effort on his part, glad that Lavi had accepted his excuse without question.

"How long have you got 'til he kidnaps you?" Lavi asked

Allen nearly choked. "What?" Did Lavi know something about the plans to cart him away?

Lavi looked confused at the reaction. "Won't he be coming to drag you away to do more work soon?"

"Oh" Allen realised his mistake. "Yeah, I guess so. He's doing a report or something at the moment. If I'm lucky I can be out of here before he comes to find me."

"Well, no one here will give you away" Lavi winked. He gestured at the pile of cooling food, "but you better get on with that or you'll still be eating when he comes to track you down."

Allen made a vague noise of agreement and picked up the speed of his consumption, shoving food down his throat like there was no tomorrow. For all he knew, there wasn't.

Lavi looked amused at the sight, casting his eye around and waving as Lenalee walked through the doors. She came and sat as his side, wrinkling her nose a little at the admittedly disturbing sight of Allen vacuuming the contents of his plates down without pausing for breath.

"What were you talking to my brother about for so long this afternoon?" she asked curiously.

Allen swallowed, thinking quickly. "Nothing important, I was just hiding from Link. You know he avoids Komui's office if he can help it."

She didn't seem too convinced by the rather weak excuse, but let it go. Lavi's attention had sharpened however, so Allen hastily went back to eating to try and avoid further questioning. It looked like Lavi was about to speak when a loud blaring alarm cut through the ambient clatter of crockery and gentle hum of voices in the dining hall. Everyone looked up at the speakers, mouths hanging open and cutlery suspended from slack fingers.

"What's going on?" Lenalee asked looking between her companions. Neither looked like they knew what the alarms meant, but there was something about the expression on Allen's face that made her pause- a mixture of some kind of sick dread and steely determination.

"I don't know, but we better go and find out" Lavi said, rising from his seat and joining the crush of people trying to get through the clogged double doors, dragging Lenalee behind him with a firm grip around her wrist.

"Wait Lavi!" she said, trying to get free "Allen…"

"He'll be okay, you know he has to go and lock down the Ark if we're under attack" Lavi said without turning round. "We need to find out what's going on!"

She tried to turn around and catch sight of the familiar white hair, but it was impossible to see anything among the crush of people taller than both her and Allen and she allowed herself to be dragged away.

0o0o0o0o0

Allen knew he had to act quickly. When the alarm sounded he was supposed to go to Komui's office to make sure it was a serious attack and meet up with the inspector there, but since he already knew what was going on and needed to avoid Link at all costs, he headed straight to the Ark room which should be vacant by now. He was lucky that he had made sure he memorised this route in case of a _real_ emergency, else he suspected he would never get there before Link realised something was going on. He had maybe five minutes to get away before the whole world went to hell.

Just one more corridor to go- he was going to make it! Then he crashed into something that his memory informed him that shouldn't have been there.

He looked up in shock at Kanda, who just glared down at him.

"Watch where you're going" the older exorcist snapped, obviously in a rather foul mood. Allen said nothing as he got to his feet, attempting to move past Kanda. Time was running out, he had to get away now, but Kanda put out an arm and grabbed him roughly around his bicep. "Where are you going?"

Allen looked up at him. "Kanda, let me go, please-"

Kanda frowned at him, then looked back over his shoulder down the corridor. "You're going to seal the Ark?"

"Yes, so let me go, I've got to-"

"So where's the inspector?" Kanda replied with a raised eyebrow.

Allen couldn't reply to that, everyone knew he wasn't allowed near the Ark without supervision. "Kanda, please, let me go…" he said quietly, tugging on his still captured arm uselessly as he tried to get away. The seconds were ticking away, for all he knew, the inspector could already be there waiting for him. He suddenly found himself slammed into the wall, a pair of hands on his shoulders pinning him into place.

"You're running away" Kanda growled slowly. "What the fuck Moyashi?"

"You don't understand, there's no time!"

Kanda scowled at him. "You're a fucking coward, running away because the going's getting rough."

"No! It's not like that!"

"Then what is it like? Tell me that before I drag your sorry corpse to Komui's office."

"You idiot!" Allen snapped, still tugging futilely at Kanda's hands. "Who the hell do you think set the alarms off so I could leave?!"

"What?"

"They're going to arrest me! Take me away from the Order! Komui's helping me get away before that happens, and you're getting in the way! Goddammit Kanda, let me go!"

Kanda dropped his hands in surprise, allowing Allen to push him away and take off at a sprint down the corridor. He stood for a moment, still processing what Allen had screamed at him in his desperation, before turning abruptly and following the departed exorcist.

"Kanda Yuu, have you seen Walker?" a sudden voice called to him from the direction that Allen had approached from. He turned and offered the short blonde man a furious glare.

"Well?" Link asked sharply and Kanda's glare stepped up a notch.

"Why the hell would I have seen the Moyashi?" he snapped. "Isn't he supposed to be with you?"

"Yes, but obviously he is not!" the smaller man returned irritably. "Well if you have not seen him; please continue with whatever it was you were doing. Apparently it is a false alarm." He muttered something about 'idiot supervisors' and 'robots' before stepping past Kanda and moving swiftly down the corridor in the direction of the Ark room. The blaring of the alarm cut off suddenly and Kanda felt abruptly deafened by the lack of noise.

Deciding that following the inspector would be a little suspicious; he turned away and started the walk back to his room. Less than a minute had passed when the harsh roar of the alarm started again and the short form of the inspector dashed past him in the direction of the supervisor's office.

Kanda allowed himself a small smirk as he spun on his heels and walked back in the opposite direction, pushing open the flapping door to the Ark room and glancing around. Although it would be hard to call it the Ark room anymore, since there was no longer an entrance to the Ark in there.


	4. Chapter 4

I am so sorry this is so late, I've just been sooo busy lately!! Thanks to everyone who reviewed (I'm sorry if I haven't replied, I am so disorganised!) and because I love you all, chapter 5 will go up tomorrw to make up for it!

* * *

Allen dashed away from Kanda, thankful that that the other exorcist had finally released him, but cursing him for holding him back so long. He was now drastically short on time- Komui wouldn't be able to keep Link in his office forever- at the most he had two minutes before the inspector caught up with him.

The double doors swung open under his hands, crashing back off the walls with twin booming thuds before bouncing back to their original positions, slightly muting the screaming alarm.

As Komui promised, the room was empty save for a small case half hidden in the shadows, propped against the staircase that lead to the Ark gate. He grabbed it as he sprinted up the steps and threw it through the portal ahead of him, looking around in surprise when the wailing of the alarm abruptly cut out, leaving nothing but a ringing peace that made him uneasy. Not the alarm had been silenced he knew that he had hardly any time left- Link would soon be tracking him down to demand why he hadn't been in Komui's office when it _could_ have been a real emergency.

He dashed through the portal; grabbing his case on the way and following the route he knew instinctively lead to the piano room. He doubted it was his own (dubious at the best of times) sense of direction that allowed him to effortlessly navigate the deserted whitewashed streets, and while he vehemently denied feeling anything remotely like gratitude towards the one who could do so easily and was guiding his subconscious, he _was_ glad that he wasn't wasting valuable time down dead-end streets while he meandered in meaningless circles.

When he finally sat down in front of the piano, his hands hesitated, hovering uncertainly over the black and white keys.

'_If I do this, I can never come back' _he thought, his fingers retracting a little. A movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention.

In the mirror the shadow gave him a mocking grin.

Allen hated it in here, purely because it brought him a modicum of peace. Of course, it wasn't _Allen_ who was at peace here, it was the Fourteenth, this room, the whole Ark was _his_ domain. Looking at the mirror Allen could see the shadow was far more solid looking and more detailed than he'd ever seen it before.

His own reflection was faint and insubstantial- nothing more than mist or smoke, while the shadow had more form than when he hovered behind Allen in the reflections outside of the Ark. The message was clear- here, the Noah had the upper hand.

"What?" he snapped at the mirror, clenching his hands into fists and turning away from the instrument. He didn't expect an answer- the shadow occasionally spoke to him, calling his name though their mental link, but since the first time in the Ark, the Musician hadn't said anything else to him, much less complete sentences, so it came as a complete surprise when the wide grin stretched further, and a voice skittered across his mind. The mouth of the shadow did not move with the words, but it made no difference, Allen heard them as clearly as if he'd spoken them himself.

"It's all the same to me, but if you want what little time you have left not to be spent in a cage, I suggest you make your move, boy"

The voice was smooth and arrogant, befitting one endowed with the memories of Noah, but beneath that haughty tone, there was something else, something well-mannered and light-hearted that reminded him so much of Mana that it made his heart clench.

"Not to rush you" the voice drawled, a definite smirk in his words "but the inspector is in the Ark room."

Allen closed his eyes and sighed. This was it- the last time he'd step foot in Headquarters, perhaps forever.

His fingers reached for the keys without further conscious thought and he began to play, a single crystalline tear carving down his cheek.

0o0o0o0o0

Link barged into the Ark room, panting heavily. Between the supervisor and his idiotic robot inventions setting off the attack alarms and the general chaos _that_ had caused, and one Allen Walker, who should have reported to Komui's office as soon as the alarm sounded but had failed to arrive at all, he was in a particularly foul mood.

And not to mention the fact that Komui had held him up even longer- God only knew where the white-haired exorcist had managed to disappear to in the meantime. Link only hoped that he'd got lost (not unheard of) and not done something stupid with his pending removal from the Order only hours away.

Truthfully he felt a little for the young exorcist who'd been through so much already for the sake of the Order- hell, the kid had all but _died_, but there was more at stake here than just one exorcist.

The Fourteenth Noah had betrayed the Earl. Who knew what secrets he knew about the other side of the war? And if it cost the life of one of the youngest, most powerful exorcists to obtain those secrets? Well, it was all for the greater good. If they could end the war with that knowledge, it would all be worth it, right? Link scoffed a little at that. Allen Walker and his martyr complex would be the first to agree. Stupid boy.

All thoughts stuttered to a sudden disbelieving halt as he watched the portal to the Ark disappear from view. He stood there, immobile and appalled as the last traces of light vanished from sight. Walker had… he had… he'd _left_… gone… deserted the Order. Run away to save himself and probably doomed the entire organisation in the process. The supervisor had assured him that Walker's sense of duty would not allow him to make good his escape… Link fumed silently. If he found out anybody knew about this and did nothing… or worse _aided_ Walker in his getaway, heads would roll. He turned abruptly and smashed his fist down onto the button mounted on the wall and the alarm screamed into life once more.

0o0o0o0o0

Kanda waited until an oddly smug looking Inspector Link had left the supervisor's office before going himself to confront Komui. If what Allen had said was true, then running away was all that damn sister-complex's idea, and Kanda was dammed if he didn't want an explanation as to why the supervisor had suggested that Allen leave and place far more suspicion on himself.

Not that he was particularly concerned, but he hated only having half the story. He didn't really want to know what was happening because he _cared _about the stupid sprout. Really. He scowled at his thoughts. Lately he had been getting far too involved with the younger exorcist and for the life of him he couldn't understand _why_. He snorted softly to himself before roughly pushing the door to the office open. It swung on it's hinges and bounced against the wall with a resounding crash.

Komui jerked upright at the sudden noise, blinking blearily at the intruder. It appeared he had fallen asleep almost immediately after the inspector had left only moments before.

The Chinese man looked wrung-out, his eyes darkly shadowed and his face pale and exhausted.

It was usual for the scientists of the Order to look tired and over worked, usually as a result of Komui's slacking off, but today the supervisor looked just as stressed as his workers. "Kanda, what a surprise. What can I do for you?"

"Where's the Moyashi?"

Komui blinked rapidly, obviously trying to coerce his brain into action. "I'm sure I don't know. Is he in his room?"

Kanda raised an eyebrow. Really, he wasn't _that_ stupid, and he certainly didn't need Lavi's intellect to know that Komui wasn't being entirely honest with him. "No." He said nothing further and Komui started to look more and more shifty the longer the awkward silence stretched twiddling his thumbs, flicking though documents and looking everywhere in the room except at Kanda. "Cafeteria?" the older man suggested almost timidly.

Kanda's other eyebrow rose to meet the first. "Then who's just closed the Ark?" he asked smoothly, enjoying watching the other man sweat.

Komui had flushed an unsightly red. "What?" he choked out in what was a fair attempt at shock. "The Ark's closed?" The exorcist looked unimpressed and Komui sighed, realising he wasn't fooling anyone. "Yes, I know. Inspector Link has just informed me that Allen Walker has deserted the Order."

"Cut the crap Komui. I know as well as you do that you're the one who told him to go. Damn Moyashi told me so himself."

Komui actually looked insulted. "Well I never How you can even suggest that I am anything but completely loyal to the Order ! I've just had Link in here making similar accusations, but I never thought someone like you would ever-" Komui stopped ranting long enough to squint suspiciously at Kanda, obviously confused by that last statement. "_Allen _told you?" _Like there was any other Moyashi in the Order._ He wondered how to ask the next question without meeting an all-too-expected, protracted and probably grisly end. "Uh, no offence Kanda, but why would Allen tell you anything?" _especially since I told him not to tell anyone! _He added crossly in his mind.

Kanda supposed he shouldn't really be insulted- the antagonism between the pair of them _was_ legendary, but still, to suggest that Allen wouldn't share anything with him purely because the had the odd argument or two… deciding he was over thinking the point, Kanda glared at the supervisor, daring him to continue. "Stupid bean tells everyone everything whether they want to hear it or not" he growled ungraciously.

"He was told not to say anything to anyone" Komui sighed, bowing his head so his glasses slid to the end of his nose. "He only told you? No one else?"

Kanda frowned. "Well I was the only one there. What does it matter anyway?"

"If word gets out that we knew what Allen was going to do and stood by and did nothing, the Earl will be the least of our worries" Komui informed him gravely. What you have to understand, Kanda, is that whatever the scientists at Central were planning on dong to Allen, or rather, to Allen's body, could only happen if the Allen we know, _our_ Allen, was no longer in control of it. Even I'm not sure of what they plan to do if they get hold of him, but in essence, they were going to kill him" Komui fixed the exorcist with an uncharacteristically sharp glare. "Are you suggesting that I stood by and did nothing?"

Kanda's mouth twitched as though wanting to declare that, yes, Komui's first duty was to the Order, and if fulfilling that duty meant the sacrifice of one exorcist, _especially if that exorcist was a useless Moyashi, _then so be it.

But his voice didn't work, and the expression on the supervisor's face told him that even if he _had_ managed to get the words out, they wouldn't have been fooling either of them.

Komui cleared his throat, breaking the rather awkward silence. "So that's why I did it."

Kanda crossed hi arms over his chest in a petulant manner and looked away, huffing out an irritated breath. "The idiot'll only get himself killed before the week's out."

The older man sighed as though talking to a particularly difficult child, not the nineteen year old veteran exorcist before him. "I know you and Allen have never got on, but that's no reason to write him off. He obviously trusts you, or he'd have never told you what was happening." _Even if I DID tell him not to_ Komui fumed silently again, extremely miffed that his orders had been so blatantly disregarded. "It's not he first time he's had to fend for himself after all." Komui pushed his glasses further up his nose. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do" which was true enough, even if he wasn't planning on _doing _any. "And remember, not one word to anyone, not even Lavi or Lenalee."

Kanda grunted in what was assumed to be assent before leaving the office, feeling no less confused that he had when he entered.

0o0o0o0o0

Allen sat on tree stump, elbows on his knees and head bowed, staring aimlessly down at the suitcase resting between his feet. He had absolutely no idea what to do next. It had been a long time since he had no sense of purpose, but that was exactly how he felt now. The last year at Headquarters, despite the various disasters that had befallen the Order had been the best he'd had in a long time- a sense of belonging- a _home_, something he'd not had since those far too few years spent with Mana, but even his time with Cross had had _some_ sort of structure- even if it was the repetitive scenario of running from one brothel to another avoiding debt collectors.

Now he had nothing- he'd abandoned his home, his friends, his _family_, all to save his own worthless skin.

His forlorn expression turned to one of confusion when his suitcase rocked a little back and forth between his feet. He reached down and laid the case flat, flicking up the catches, but hesitated before opening it. After all, Komui had been the one to arrange for it to be packed, who knew what the crazy scientist had hidden among the new clothes that had been made for him?

He hovered in indecision before deciding that being afraid of whatever (admittedly ominous) thing that was moving his case was unbefitting for an exorcist (_**ex-**_**exorcist** the smooth voice of the Noah reminded him with a little too much enjoyment in his tone) and, taking a deep breath he threw back the lid, scrunching up his eyes to try and save him from the inevitable explosion of flighty genius (as Komui would label his insane creations). No explosion came, so his eyes were safe, but that didn't save his forehead from the hefty crack that sent him flying backwards off his stump with an undignified squawk of alarm.

He lay on his back, looking up at the sky as stars fluttered in his vision. Only that didn't make much sense, since it was day still- the sun high overhead proved that, and the fact that the stars had wings and a tail was just, quite frankly, odd. After several more seconds the stars solidified into one singular golden golem, hovering uncertainly over his face, looking (if it were possible for it to do so) a little guilty for knocking its maste off his perch.

"Timcampy?" Allen asked it in confusion as he sat up, gingerly feeling his forehead that was now sporting an impressive bruise and red lump to go with it. "What are you doing here?" as far as he knew, the golem was being 'cared for' by Inspector Link so that Allen's communications could be monitored. So how had the little device ended up in Allen's suitcase?

In answer, the golem opened up it's mouth and spewed a roll of paper onto Allen's lap before taking up it's familiar perch on Allen's (now aching) head.

Allen unrolled the paper, recognising Komui's hasty scrawl at once.

_Dear Allen;_

_I found Timcampy in my office yesterday after my meeting with Link. It appears it managed to escape without the inspector noticing, so I thought I'd send him along with you. I need to contact you at some point anyway, and this way you won get too lonely. PLEASE do not use it to make contact with anyone else in the Order. Your escape will raise enough suspicions without placing anyone else in danger. It's better if as few people as possible know about my involvement._

_Stay safe._

_Komui._

Allen felt little guilty about that- he'd already told Kanda that it was the supervisor who had planned his escape. Although he knew that Kanda would hardly blab about it. Who would he tell? Who would believe him? Everyone knew that they didn't talk to each other in idle conversation, so who in their right mind would ever believe that Allen would ever willingly divulge the secrets of his escape plan?

Allen frowned. But he _had _though. Why had he done that? Okay, Kanda _had_ been threatening him, but he had always done that, this shouldn't have been any different. He looked down at his right hand, still gloved, feeling the healing scars from his recent run-in with the window in the distant corridor of Headquarters. Maybe that had something to do with it. For once since this whole fiasco started, someone had treated him like he was still human, still himself. Even if it was in Kanda's own brusque way. In all the time he'd known him, he didn't think that Kanda had ever treated him like he had lately.

Now was not the time to sit and psychoanalyse himself. He had to make himself scarce, find somewhere to lay low and become unrecognisable. He had already seen the bottles from Komui's store in the case, but hadn't had time to look at them properly yet.

Komui was right though- even having Timcampy here made him feel a little better. He gave the golem a fond pat before putting back the items that had been displaced when Tim had exploded from the case and snapping the lid shut.

Time to go and give himself a new identity.


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you for the4 great response to the last chapter! You people make me so happy!!

ramenluv- and here is that update, just for you! I'm glad you like this story!

MitarashiiDango- and I shall give you more!! Haha- Link has his reasons for being smug, but I'm not telling you what they are!

a1y-puff- yes, a new identity. Of course, I can't do too much to Allen… I'm glad you liked that, I personally thought that Kanda announcing that Allen was sharing secrets with him would seem very strange to anyone!

MidnightEmber- haha, wait no more! Here it is, as promised. I'm so happy you are enjoying Decline. Makes me know that my free time isn't being wasted!

JuliaSuna- my dear, any review is better than no review! I don't care how long it is, as long as its there! (that could be taken sooo wrong…) I just like hearing what people think!

XxMissyRandomxX- Well, he is slightly noticeable what with all that white hair and a freaking scar on his face- not good for going incognito… As for what Kanda will do… I have no clue!! :P ps its trying to do that weird thing where it doesn't show your name again... BUT I WON'T LET IT! *cue evil laughter

xRandomosityx- wait no more!

MiniBloodyMurder- he's stressed? What about me! Lol, not really. Guess it would make anyone depressed to be in that situation…

darklink231- yeah, Allen always gets it rough doesn't he? What a lot of faff to go through to stop himself from being killed… sigh.

CrimsonKitsune333- Now usually I'd make a crack about getting cyber-fat from your cyber-cookies, but since I'm moving out and haven't been food shopping for 3 weeks to deplete my food store to save carting that along too, I'm living off pasta and beans, so your cookies are very welcome!! I'm glad you're loving Decline!

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Like OMG I'm going crazy today. I'm moving out of my uni room on Sunday, so today I've packing, writing, cleaning and eating all at the same time!! Nightmare! … I just started with 'like'… shoot me now... Shorter chapter than I've been managing lately, but you'll forgive me? Right?

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It was not five star accommodation, it wasn't even up to the Order's rather Spartan standards, but there was a bed, admittedly it was nothing but a shabby straw filled mattress on the floor, and a sink with a single tarnished tap that dripped water intermittently, but the water was clean and free from dirt and rust. The toilet was in the form of an outhouse in the yard, but all in all Allen had lived with a lot worse. Heck, much of his early childhood had been spent on the streets where beds were the cobbles of the dirty pavement and a toilet was some rumoured mystical device that only the impossibly rich could even _hope_ to own. And just what was clean water anyway?

Allen tried to avoid any thoughts that informed him that he might yet have to return to that way of life. The thought made him feel more ill than he probably should have. As a child he had been dirty and street roughened, and even later, with Mana, the circus life had not particularly encouraged cleanliness, even if his adoptive father had managed to improve his manners and language considerably. The years with Cross however were a different story entirely. The redheaded general abhorred dirt and Allen had had to quickly learn to be as much of a neat freak as his master out of necessity. Of course, as soon as the general had Allen trained to clean up after him, he became a bit of a slacker himself, but somehow Cross' lessons had always stuck with Allen, so much so that he had a slight obsessive compulsiveness when it came to untidiness and dirt. Lavi had always been his worst enemy in that department. Slob.

Luckily he had managed to persuade an old woman to house him for a few nights in exchange for helping her with her chores. This was something Allen was sure he'd have no problems with- it seemed that he spent earning money for Cross to fritter away he'd done just about every job going.

Now however, the morning chores were finished and he had a couple of hours free before they began again, and Allen sat looking at the bottles ranged on the windowsill, helpfully labelled in Komui's untidy handwriting.

It was the last two that particularly held his attention right now.

He had already used the one that made his hair hang well below his shoulder blades. He didn't mind the effect- he'd had a similar style before thanks to Komui's potions disaster in the move to the new headquarters building, and though unlike the previous one this transformation was permanent, it was nothing a pair of scissors couldn't cure.

No, the last two bottles contained dye. One for his eyes and the other for his newly long hair. He scowled accusingly at them. Though being cursed by one's adoptive father was not something he'd recommend to anyone, he couldn't deny that the white hair and bright silver eyes felt normal to him now. Of course, he could happily live without the scar, which was currently hidden beneath concealer, but it still felt odd to be returning to the almost forgotten, rather dull browns of his childhood complexion. Like he was losing a part of himself. Which he supposed was the whole point of the dye anyway.

When he was finished he studied the reflection in a small cracked mirror critically, ignoring the lurking shadow over his shoulder. The overall effect wasn't too bad- his pale hair and eyes had always made him look washed-out, but with deep brown hair and eyes only a shade or two lighter, his whole complexion seemed darker somehow, like he had a faint, fading tan. He blinked a few times, watching his strange new reflection mimic the action.

"**I prefer you like this"** the Noah informed him, the shadow's grin broadening. **"Now you look much more like my previous body. All that white, it didn't suit you- too pure."**

Allen decided to ignore the Fourteenth- he couldn't risk the old woman walking in on him talking to himself, even if it was only internally. It was going to be hard enough explaining why his appearance had changed so drastically in the space of two hours. Luckily the old dear rather liked him, easily befriending the polite young man who asked for nothing in exchange for saving her ancient bones. And he also suspected she knew far more about what was happening than she let on, from the way that her shrewd eyes watched him. Hopefully he'd be long gone before word of his whereabouts reached the Order anyway.

With a sigh he pulled the hair-band that Komui had supplied from his pocket and tugged his long hair into a low ponytail before turning and examining the contents of his suitcase that were spread across the mattress. At some point he'd have to exchange the bulky case for something easier to carry and less conspicuous- all exorcists travelled with suitcases, and while the one Komui had given him was of a different design to the standard one, it was still something easily spotted.

The case had contained several long sleeved shirts, though only one was his usual white. The rest were either off white or a pale beige colour. There were a couple of vests, one a slightly too big brown one and the other a well tailored, though still a little too long black one, which, judging by the bow tie tucked into its pocket went with the crisp white shirt. The pair of black trousers and dress shoes in his size completed the suit, though for the life of him he couldn't understand why Komui thought he needed one while on the run. The other two pairs of trousers were brown and altogether, though it was clearly a well planned wardrobe, Allen found himself missing the monochrome uniform of the Black Order.

He gave himself a rough mental shake- now was not the time for such thoughts.

A last root through the clothes turned up several pairs of gloves among the underwear, most white but one black and one dark brown pair also revealed themselves.

It looked like Komui had thought of everything.

With a last sigh he turned away, tucking his gloved hands into the unfamiliar pockets of his trousers before heading downstairs to help prepare lunch.

The old woman, who was named Helen but insisted (fiercely) that everyone called her Nelly, greeted him warmly when he reached the kitchen.

She stood back, arms folded over her ample bosom as she regarded his new appearance appraisingly. "The colour suits you William" she said in approval, giving a sharp nod. The English words she used were heavily accented, but she had maintained that Allen, or William as he had introduced himself, continue to use his native tongue so that she could practise the language she hadn't used in many years.

Allen smiled in response. "Thank you. I must say, as odd as it is to have my hair and eyes back to normal, I'm rather glad to be rid of all that white." God he was lying through his teeth! He hated it! Absolutely hated it!

Nelly didn't seem to notice the rather pained expression on Allen's face as she gestured to the pile of potatoes with a knife. "Just those to do now, William You worked so hard yesterday and this morning that I thought you needed a break."

He forced himself not to bow to her as he spoke, a habit he'd picked up from spending so much time in the East, and instead offered her a smile. "That really wasn't necessary Mrs.- Nelly." Something else he kept forgetting. The woman was all for manners, but his overly formal, sometimes stiff way of talking resulted in a wallop around the back of his knees with her cane. He'd been reprimanded twelve times in the day and a half he'd been staying with her and had no desire to repeat the experience. "I would gladly do more to repay you for your kindness."

"Nonsense boy" she scolded, then slipped into her native French to articulate properly. "You may not have told me what's going on, but I'm not stupid, and I know a good person when I meet them. And if whoever is looking for you comes knocking, you were never here."

He smiled gratefully. "Thank you" he said in English, before switching to French to make sure she understood. This was one of those rare times that he was actually grateful that Cross had dragged him all over the world. Not only did he know French and German, but had a fairly decent understanding of Japanese and a smattering of Spanish. "You don't know what that means to me, really. I wish I could tell you more, but I don't want to put you in any danger should someone come looking for me."

She patted him fondly on the shoulder. "Don't you fret about me, dear. You should start worrying more for yourself."

Allen had nothing to say to that: it wasn't the first time he'd heard it, after all.

0o0o0o0o0

Kanda didn't think she could look more depressed if she tried. He watched Lenalee morosely poke at her food, but so far she'd not once attempted to eat anything.

Beside her, sitting directly opposite Kanda, Lavi was doing better at disguising his thoughts, but the pensive silence and thoughtful frown gave away his true feelings.

Eventually Lenalee lay down her fork and sighed, looking around the noisy crowded dining hall.

Everyone was sitting clustered in small groups, heads pressed close together and urgent words being exchanged. It appeared that Allen's desertion had caused quite the stir.

Every now and then someone would cast a quick look over at the three exorcists, no doubt wondering whether they knew any more about what was going on. Perhaps if Kanda hadn't been sitting there, they would have attempted to question Lenalee and Lavi, but as it was the curious finders and scientists contented themselves with making their own speculations.

Lenalee looked on the verge of tears. "I just don't understand. Why would he leave?"

Lavi turned and blinked at her, as though only just realising she was there. "Maybe it's not Allen any more."

She scowled at him venomously. "Don't even say that! That doesn't make any sense! We saw him that morning, and he was perfectly normal then!"

Which wasn't completely true, Allen hadn't been acting completely normal for weeks, but neither of the two men at the table bothered to correct her about that, although Lavi said: "well, actually, he seemed almost_ too_ normal, y'know? Like, completely back to how he was before all this happened, He was really cheerful when I spoke to him that morning."

"Then why would he leave?" she asked again desperately. It was no secret that she cared a lot for all her comrades, and she seemed honestly distressed that something had been bothering one of them to this extent and she hadn't noticed. This gave Kanda some satisfaction- that he had spotted the problems when those who claimed to be closest to Allen hadn't noticed a thing. Then he frowned, wondering why he cared at all.

Lavi must have spotted the expression on Kanda's face, because he looked at him interestedly. "What is it Yuu? Do you know something?"

Kanda managed to stop himself from flinching in surprise: he thought he was better at hiding his thoughts better than that. Obviously Lavi and Lenalee were not the only ones unsettled by the recent events. He scowled at the red head to disguise his shock. "Don't call me that!" he snapped to buy time. Well, that and it was an automatic reaction by now, even though he knew no matter how many times he asked, no, demanded, _threatened_ Lavi to not use his given name, the redhead only took it as encouragement to continue. "And I don't care why he's gone. Good riddance. Maybe now we can get on with some real work instead of waiting for some stupid Moyashi-Noah to murder us in or sleep."

Lavi's eye visibly darkened in anger in response to Kanda's answer, but he kept his tone light and joking as he teased the shorter man. "Waiting for him to kill us? Are you admitting that you'd _lose_?" he said with a grin.

Kanda slammed his hands on the table, but didn't get a reply out, because, so quick that his brain didn't register the motion until _after_ the event, Lenalee had raised a small hand and slapped him soundly across the face.

"Don't you ever, _ever_ talk about Allen like that again!" she cried, and the room fell silent. "Whatever's going on, I'm sure there's a good reason for it! He _hasn't _deserted the Order, he just hasn't!" she stormed away as soon as the previously unshed tears began making their way down her face, leaving the room to fall back into excited, speculative whispers about the latest development.

Kanda sat, hardly believing that she had just smacked him. Of course, it wouldn't be the first time she'd hit him- usually it was with a clipboard, but this had been serious… she really meant to hurt him with that hit. He inwardly cursed his policy which stopped him from returning the strike. Well, his policy and his intended target's older brother who would cheerfully castrate him and then kill him for good measure for even touching her.

Lavi gave a low stunned whistle. "Wow, Yuu-chan, you really pissed her off." The redhead got to his feet, adjusting his headband absently. "She's right though. There must be something more to this than we've heard. The sprout would never just up and leave without good reason."

Kanda watched the other exorcist walk away before releasing a frustrated sigh. He didn't need Lavi to tell him that- of course there was something else going on. And he knew exactly what it was. What he couldn't understand was why no one had been told what the higher ups had planned to do with Allen. Even if they couldn't be told about Komui's involvement in the escape, surely they should know that everyone's favourite exorcist was going to be carted away, experimented on, even killed? No one would blame him for doing a runner with _that_ hanging over his head.

There was only one explanation as for why that little detail had been suppressed and only one person in Headquarters that could have issued the order. He stood abruptly, drawing the attention of a group of nearby gossiping finders. He ignored them. He was off to have a little word with Howard Link.


	6. Chapter 6

YAY! Reviews are love!! Made me want to get this chapter done sooner, which didn't make packing easier, let me tell you!

MitarashiiDango- Kanda, do something stupid? Who would ever believe something like that? Hope you recover from being beaten unconscious, or what would be the point of me updating?

JuliaSuna- Moustache? *Has visions of handlebar monstrosity* somehow I find the concept of Allen with facial hair vaguely disturbing… I'm glad you like my Kanda, at least I'm doing something right!

MidnightEmber- I'm glad you're enjoying it! Hopefully there will be some action soon… *looks worried* maybe planning this story would be a good idea…

Kayday- Well, we can't have Kanda showing too much concern, can we? The world would go _sput_.

XxMissyRandomxX- It doesn't like your dot. *Scowls at computer* Yay, you think I'm awesome! And of course, all answers will be answered… eventually! MWAHA!

darklink231- well, "Allen" still has white hair… "William" on the other hand… lol

ramenluv- I'm rather interested too- I only find out what's going to happen in the chapter about two days before everyone else…

MiniBloodyMurder- And what would life be without a bit of drama, darling?

aly-puff- *sulks* It was only 509 words shorter… And it won't be long 'til "William" has contact with people form the Order… *evil laugh* I was just a little unfair to slap Kanda, but he's a tough guy, he can handle it! LOL

Sakura-Cherryblossom4- bet you're not missing it as much as Allen is! Glad you like the story!

CrimsonKitsune333- If I ever rule the world (unlikely, but hey, a girl can dream) all men capable of maintaining long hair should do so. As long as it doesn't look better than mine, of course…

Erendyce- Why thank you!

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I'm sorry! I very nearly didn't get a chapter out at all this week. Since I am now back at home I have to earn my keep and my mum hasn't let me sit down for two seconds! It's not what I really wanted, it really slowed down, but hopefully the next one will make up for it. I have the weekend off so I should get a lot of it done!!

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Allen lay on his back on top of his admittedly inadequate mattress, staring at the ceiling and trying very, _very_ hard to ignore the persistent rumblings of his stomach, which were getting increasingly louder the longer he tried to do so. He huffed out an irritated breath and turned over onto his front, grateful that the straw-stuffed mattress gave nothing but a whispery rustle as his weight shifted, not loud enough to disturb the old lady sleeping in the next room.

He laughed at himself silently. Out of all the things he was going to miss about the Order, Jerry's cooking was certainly very close to the top of the list. At the minute the wonderful food he was missing was sitting at the very top of that list.

He knew he was taking a risk, not eating enough was going to have an effect on his ability to fight- if he could even invocate when the time came, but Nelly was poor and struggling as it was to feed herself. His extra help over the last couple of days had brought more money into the small household, but there was still no way that he was going to be able to eat anywhere near the sheer quantity of food that he needed to.

It was definitely something that he needed to do something about, and now that his disguise was in place, he could venture into the local town, situated a couple of miles away from Nelly's small farmstead. Perhaps he could pick up extra money doing odd jobs around town for the other locals, or failing that, well, he still had his circus tricks and poker face to get by.

He'd been lying awake for most of the night, and now pre-dawn light was creeping over the horizon. It could only be an hour at the most before he had to get up anyway to start the day, so he figured that he may as well get going now. He wasn't going to get more sleep now anyway.

He threw the rough blanket off him and got up, throwing on a shirt. It felt very strange to be starting the day like this. It was scarcely half-past three in the morning, and the already balmy air was sneaking through the window he'd left open the previous evening to try and tempt in a non-existent breeze.

The Order was almost never too warm. In the old tower, the cold stone had never retained heat, and even in the new building chilled winds swept through the corridors, but here, the small rough-stone house with thatched roof was like an oven. He didn't need to do extra exercises in the morning- his day was almost non-stop physical labour, but he didn't think he'd be able to anything in this humidity even if he had to. He splashed his face with frigid water from the tap, immediately waking him up fully. He gasped as the shock of cold water coursed though his system before turning the tap off and scrubbing a thin towel over his face.

He made an irritated noise, feeling his long hair stick to the sweat on the back of his neck. Although he knew it made him look very different from his usual self, it was already getting on his nerves. Maybe he should cut it a little. Not as short as his usual style, but enough that it wasn't hanging down to the middle of his back. Whatever, he'd have to give it some thought. For now, he tied it back into a high ponytail to keep it off his neck throughout the day. He brushed aside a lock of hair that didn't reach into the ponytail, scowling at it in frustration. God, long hair was such a pain! He didn't know how Kanda coped with it. The scowl on his face deepened at the thought. He opened the door silently and headed outside. He expected to feel a little sad each time he thought about his previous home, but thinking about the anti-social Japanese exorcist, the fact that he would probably never see him again, made his heart clench in ways that made him defiantly confused. Why did the thought of never laying eyes on Kanda again make him feel so down? He waved a hand as though he could brush the thoughts away. He couldn't afford any such thoughts now.

As he closed the door and headed to the sheds to start feeding Nelly's few animals, he noticed that a few tears had managed to escape and he angrily cuffed them away. Allen Walker might have been part of that world, but Allen Walker didn't exist anymore.

0o0o0o0o0

If asked, Kanda wouldn't have been able to answer why he was currently charging down the corridors of the Order searching out one Howard Link. Perhaps it was the slap courtesy of Lenalee that galvanised him into taking out his anger on the inspector, but more likely it was his indignation of the way that Allen was being treated. Not that he'd admit feeling like that, but the fact that Link was allowing Allen to be treated as a traitor without the full story being told- allowing people to believe exactly what the higher-ups _wanted_ them to believe.

He snorted harshly as he turned another corner, his boot steps leaving no doubt as to the mood he was in. He should really calm down a little, or he'd end up tearing the stupid little man's head off.

Not that anyone would care if he did.

He hoped.

0o0o0o0o0

Allen wiped his forehead with his forearm, careful not to smudge the concealer that covered the scarlet pentacle scar above his left eyebrow. The sun had only been up fully for a couple of hours, but he could already feel it burning his exposed skin. Nelly had left a few minutes ago to head into town, refusing Allen's offer to go instead, so he found himself mucking out the dilapidated cowshed in the intense morning heat.

After a few minutes deliberation, he figured that Nelly was going to be gone for over an hour, and the smallholding was at a far enough distance from its neighbours that he reckoned he was safe removing his shirt and gloves.

While it was true that outside the Order he had still kept his arm hidden from curious eyes, within the building everyone was aware of his parasitic innocence and many had seen far stranger things in their lives than his dark skin and cross-embedded hand, and he often rolled up his sleeves, but out here, in the real world, he had to be careful. He had suffered at the hands of the unaccepting public far too many times in his childhood to risk being spotted with his arm uncovered.

Still he was alone here, and it was like a sauna inside the shed.

He hung his clothes over one of the partitions before picking up the pitchfork again wearily. He had no clue how Nelly managed this stuff on her own. She certainly couldn't afford to hire anyone to help her, that much he knew.

Within fifteen minutes he'd finally finished with the cowshed, and tiredly put away his tools and went to the outdoor water pump to wash the sweat from his skin, flicking the water from his hair as he pulled on the shirt and wondered what he should do next. There were definite disadvantages for getting up so early. Not only were all his chores done, so he had nothing to do to take his mind off the heat, but he'd had breakfast really early too, and now he was starving.

He sat dejectedly in the shade of the house, trying to think of something to distract himself from his protesting stomach. The heat and lack of sleep the night before was making him drowsy and he dozily mused that if he continued to work out in the sun he'd end up so tanned that no one from his previous life would ever recognise him. Huh, there he went again, thinking useless thoughts.

Komui had suggested that he could carry on acting as an exorcist. He could still see Akuma, after all, and still had his arm… (he ignored the sniggering in his mind when he considered this) but… the Black Order had an extensive intelligence network, he could easily be spotted, and even if he wasn't recognised for who he was, though since parasitic innocence was rare, that was unlikely, he would be reported back to the Order as a new conformer and then the shit would really hit the fan.

And if he went into populated areas, he could almost certainly attract the attention of any Akuma in the area, since they would sense his innocence, and if word of someone destroying innocence made it back to Headquarters… He sighed, feeling as though an intense weight had settled on his shoulders as he realised the truth- it would be very hard to continue working as an exorcist independent from the Order without being discovered.

0o0o0o0o0

Ah, there he was, the little weasel. Kanda quickened his steps to catch up with Link before the blonde man could vanish around the next corner and vanish into the labyrinthine corridors of the building.

"Oi!" he barked, his frustration at even _doing_ this carrying clearly in his tone. Never before had he been so tempted to use one of the Lavi-coined nicknames that flitted around the Order as he did now as he approached the 'Two-spot'.

"Kanda Yuu" the inspector paused, allowing the exorcist to catch up to him, his face blandly interested. Kanda wasn't all that impressed with the older man's façade and practically stomped up to him.

"Why" he growled, stopping a little closer than was generally considered polite. "Are you not telling everyone the _real_ reason that the Moyashi ran away?"

Link didn't even bat an eyelid at the other man, his face staying perfectly calm. "I do beg you pardon, but I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about." And with that, he turned abruptly and began walking away. He came to a sudden halt when the feeling of cold steel touched his neck. "I would suggest your remove your blade from my person, exorcist" Link said, his voice still placid even as the switchblade slid out of his sleeve.

"Not until you tell me what the hell you're playing at!"

Quicker than Kanda expected the man to move, Link's small blade knocked Mugen aside and was now positioned defensively across his chest as he studied Kanda's face over his arm. "And why would you be interested in the affairs of Allen Walker?"

Kanda didn't reply, but his eyes narrowed. He'd hoped that his motives wouldn't be questioned, because he simply had no answer.

Link continued to study him interestedly, before appearing to come to an abrupt decision and lowering his defensive stance and withdrawing the blade back out of sight up his sleeve. "Very well, come with me" he said suddenly, still looking at Kanda as though he understood something that the exorcist didn't, turning away and walking down the corridor at a slow gait, allowing Kanda to easily keep pace.

Link opened a door on the right, holding it wide so that Kanda could precede him into the room beyond.

Kanda had never been in this room before- nor in any of the rooms along this corridor, and as the door closed and the light flicked on it became apparent why as it was revealed he was standing in what appeared to be Link's office. It seemed that Allen had been in here though, judging by the random discarded right glove lying on a cluttered desk and the red ribbon tied haphazardly around the slatted chair back.

"Alright" Link said, appearing far less uptight than he did usually. "Shut up and say nothing until I have finished, and perhaps you'll understand the true scale of what's happening here."

Kanda gaped at him unattractively in surprise, unable to say anything out of sheer shock at being addressed in such a way by the usually stiff inspector.

"I know full well that Komui helped Walker escape" the inspector said, nodding to himself when he confirmed what he'd suspected- that Kanda was also aware of this fact. "Do you really think I would be so stupid as to inform the supervisor of Central's plans a whole day before they were due to be carried out and _not_ know what Komui would do?"

Right at that moment, Kanda didn't think he could possibly look any stupider, even if he dyed his hair pink and wore a tutu. His mouth hung open like a gaping fish and his eyes stretched wide as he tried to think of something to say.

Link watched with some amusement as Kanda tried to some to terms with this revelation. Eventually the exorcist pulled himself together and cleared his throat roughly, still looking a little perturbed by the news that Allen's escape had been planned by the inspector who had been skilfully manipulating everyone involved.

"I know I asked for your silence, but you _can _speak now, you know" Link said wryly, making Kanda scowl angrily.

"Why didn't you just do it yourself instead of going through all this?" Kanda asked snappily, annoyed that the inspector was mocking him.

"Just because I don't agree with my superiors in this particular instance, it does not mean that I am against them in everything" Link informed him coldly, turning up his nose haughtily.

This whole situation was proving complicated for Kanda to understand completely and he rubbed his temple in exasperation. "Let me get this straight. You wanted the Moyashi to escape Headquarters, but set Komui up to take the fall if your superiors suspected someone helped him?"

Link considered him thoughtfully for a moment. "That would be an accurate summary, yea. Now perhaps you can answer my questions honestly." With a small smirk the inspector folded his arms over his chest. "Why are you so interested in what others think of Allen Walker?"

Kanda narrowed his eyes and glared death at Link. "Don't think for one minute that I care what anyone else thinks of that stupid little Sprout, I'm just fucking sick and tired of people gossiping like schoolgirls and not doing their fucking jobs!"

Link made a small noise that might have been amusement, but otherwise his face was back to being calm and blank and impersonal again. He opened his door and gestured for the exorcist to go through it. "I am afraid I cannot disclose Central's plans to you or anyone else here, as much as you may wish it be otherwise" he said, and shut the door firmly in Kanda's face.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Komui glanced over his noted a final time before nodding to the two exorcists sitting on the couch in front of him. "Well that's everything, I think." He didn't sound too convinced. "I know all the details are a bit vague, but there are some pretty sketchy rumours flying around at the moment, and they all still need investigating." He sniffed a little in thought. "Don't hang around too long if you don't stumble on something that could explain this phenomenon though, I would prefer to keep as many exorcists close to home at the moment."

"You don't really think that Allen will lead an attack here, do you?" Crowley asked nervously, his long pale fingers twitching the edge of his cape.

Of course, Komui knew that Allen would do no such thing, but as far as anyone else knew, Allen had left and quite possibly defected to the other side. Planning for an attack only made sense. The supervisor glanced once at the other exorcist sitting on the couch. Of all the people in the Order, Noise Marie was the hardest to lie to. For a blind man, he saw an awful lot. "It's a possibility" Komui hedged. "At the least we could well expect an Akuma attack, if not a full scale invasion of Noah."

If possible, Crowley paled further, though as usual Marie remained placidly calm. "We'll leave immediately, supervisor" he said and Crowley nodded his agreement.

"Very well. There's been rumours of more activity than usual in a number of these small towns and villages. It's unlikely to be anything, but it could also be innocence that's attracting all these Akuma, so be careful" Komui added as the exorcists stood to make their way out of the office.

Outside the cluttered room Crowley breathed a sigh of relief, looking out of the window at the cloudy sky. It wasn't cold though- it was oppressively humid, the air hot and sticky. "I wonder what the weather's doing in France" he murmured, debating whether he should bother with his cape at all on the mission.

Marie also looked out of the window, though he could see nothing of the vista the view offered. "I certainly hope that it's cooler" he commented, picking up his case that had been waiting outside the office door. "Without Allen, we'll have to go back to traditional travel methods, and the channel crossing will be unbearable in this humidity."

Crowley hummed his assent and collected his own luggage. "Do you really think he did it?"

Marie didn't need to be told who the Romanian was talking about. "Did what? We haven't been told anything about what's going on. Personally I highly doubt someone like Allen Walker would just up and leave without good reason."

"That's true" Crowley agreed, falling into step with the other man. "But I can't imagine what that reason would be. Anyway" he sighedx, shifting his case into a better grip. "Let's go and find out what all this fuss is about. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can leave."


	7. Chapter 7

marufu-chan- I'm glad you think so!

.jutsu.- I'm glad you like it! And I agree, long hair is a pain, but needs must after all! And stay hidden? Where would the fun be in that?

CrimsonKitsune333- *eats cookies before little sisters can steal them* I shall reward your cookie sending skills with more awesomeness!

XxMissyRandomxX- interesting- yep, that's one word for it! I'm so happy that you like my story!

ramenluv- Ah, I did think of that, but there were several things which made me rethink it. One of which will be revealed very soon!!!

Micael-sama- Well, we wouldn't want Allen's life getting too easy, would we?

glon morski- Dammit, don't you just hate it when all your plot gets guessed before you even wrote it?!

Erendyce- No review is useless! And I didn't put a warning up with this story, but my computer has a habit of sneaking 'x's into words that have no business having 'x's in them. Usually I'm pretty good at catching them, but this one obviously got away!

a1y-puff- I love Link, and I'm glad I'm not the only one! And there may be more conversations between Kanda and Link soon, after all, Kanda's the only other one in the whole Order who actually knows what's going on! You should totally draw a William. I can't draw for toffee, so it would be interesting to see what others thought the newly brunette Allen looked like!

MitarashiiDango-Well, we can't have him being stupid ALL the time, can we? Though I'm sure he'll have a chance to show everyone show stupid he CAN be soon!

MidnightEmber- Well, I can only say, it'll get worse before it gets better…

Hanistar7- Your review made me so happy! I'm glad I could relieve you of schoolwork. Brain meltdowns are never good!

Kayday- Ah, I have chosen the worst possible time to start a new story, since I have no time to even _fart_ during the summer. But hopefully the epicness will not be too long in the coming!

As you may have noticed, updates have slowed. This is because I have just started a new job that kind of landed in my lap all of a sudden and I couldn't turn it down. Therefore my free time has been dramatically reduced, and to be perfectly honest the last thing I want to do is start writing when I get home. So, though I'm NOT going to put Decline on hold, the chapters may slow down to fortnightly updates instead of weekly. Unfortunately, this has happened just when the plot actually decides to make a move forward!

No Kanda in this chapter… woe… On the plus side, it _is_ longer than average. Really rushed too, so forgive any mistakes!

* * *

Allen sighed with false satisfaction and leaned back from the table. "That was really good Nelly, thank you."

The old woman's eyes twinkled with mirth as she gestured to the plate that Allen had all but licked clean. "I can tell you enjoyed it."

Allen didn't have the heart to tell the woman that he was so hungry he'd have eaten mud if it was placed in front of him, and it was lucky that she didn't notice the smile he gave her in response was a little strained. He putout a hand to stop her from clearing up, offering to do it instead, although he already knew there was no more food lurking on either of their dishes.

"You're such a good boy" she told him fondly, ruffling the stray locks of hair that he couldn't quite tie back from his face and making him cringe. 'Boy' honestly! He hadn't felt like a mere 'boy' in years, never since he'd joined the Order and even less so now that he'd left. She must have noticed the grimace on his face because she chuckled and pinched his cheek, already tanning thanks to the last week of working outside, in the patronising way that old people sometimes have when talking to those younger than they are and said "I'm an old woman dear, everyone is like a child compared to me." She let go of his cheek and he rubbed the reddening skin, grateful she'd chosen to abuse his right one and not his left. Komui's concealer was good- it even darkened with exposure to the sun like natural skin, and, when he'd removed it the night before, he'd been pleasantly surprised to discover that it was not causing a white mark to form on his own skin beneath it, although the tan did make his scar look decidedly odd. He didn't know when, or if, he'd be able to go without the makeup, but he hoped that when he did (_if he did_ the fourteenth reminded him helpfully) his face would still be all one colour. However, he wasn't completely sure the stuff was old-lady-proof, for all of Komui's genius, and he most certainly didn't want to find out first hand.

He tried not to glower at her and busied himself with clearing off the table, pausing every now and then to suck up a few stray crumbs while Nelly moved into the sitting room and took up residence in her favourite over-stuffed sagging armchair.

In the privacy of the kitchen Allen's stomach decided to voice its displeasure at yet again being under filled. His mood had not improved with his meal- he couldn't remember ever being so hungry.

As he stacked the last earthenware crockery on the scrubbed pine dresser, he knew he was going to have to do something to start bringing more food into the house, and more importantly, his stomach, before he actually starved to death.

He wondered if he'd be able to activate his innocence if he had to. Checking the doorway for snooping old ladies, he deemed it safe to try and invocate. It took a little longer than usual, and felt heavier and slower when he moved it, but his arm did transform. He flexed his claw-like fingers experimentally, the usually smooth motion jarring slightly.

"Damn" he whispered, frowning when he grasped his left wrist in his right hand to draw his Sword of Exorcism and nothing happened. His synchronisation rate appeared to have taken quite a hit. Though for now he thought he was probably safe, eventually he would have to move on, and he knew as soon as he came close to any large, densely populated area, his innocence would start attracting attention, and none of it good. This was going to be dangerous. Though the nearby town was by no means large, it wasn't small either, and it was risky going near so many people, but unless he did he wasn't going to be fed enough to invocate when he did run into trouble which he suspected he would, sooner rather than later.

"William? Are you okay in there?" Nelly called from the other ground floor room. From the sound of her voice she was preparing herself for her daily afternoon nap, something she now had time for thanks to Allen's help. She was probably wondering what was taking him so long to clear up.

"I'm fine!" he called back, sounding far more cheerful than he actually felt. It had been a long time since he was unable to defend himself, and the last thing he wanted was to go back to having no innocence, whether his arm was still attached or not. "I think I'm going to go into town for a bit."

"Really?" She sounded rather surprised at his announcement. He supposed that it was a bit unusual- he'd never expressed a wish to go near the town before, not even when Nelly had invited him to accompany her on one of her shopping trips. He went to stand in the doorway. Sure enough, the elderly lady was settled in her armchair ready to take a nap. "I figure its time I showed my face in town. There's supposed to be a storm coming in and I don't want you out in the rain. We need more bread."

"Such a good boy" she said again, thankfully to far away to touch his hair, closing her eyes with a sigh. "Don't be too long now, there's not much to you after all, I'd hate for you to catch a cold. Who would help me out then?"

Trying hard to ignore the fact that Nelly had just suggested, in however vague a manner, that he was small and delicate and therefore likely to succumb to illness if out in the rain- something which reminded him rather forcefully of his Kanda-given nickname that he had once detested but now found he rather missed, he grit his teeth and smiled. "Sure, I won't be long."

0o0o0o0o0

It had been a week since Allen had first stepped foot in the small town, and in that time his situation had not improved at all. As a whole the tow was in no better state of wealth than Nelly, and he found that the only way to get any extra income or food was to take on yet _more_ odd jobs, and so he spent any time not helping Nelly around her smallholding doing small tasks for the townsfolk, and when not doing _that_ he was more often than not to be found collapsed from exhaustion on some flat surface or another. In fact, he was almost expending as much energy trying to get food as he was consuming when he finally had it.

The good thing about all the physical labour was that his rather scrawny frame was filling out more despite the lack of food. Although he'd always taken care of his body and done daily exercise an regular training, he would never have been described as brawny, but now his muscles bulged when he moved his arms. That, coupled with the extra inch of height he'd gained lately (something Nelly attributed to plenty of fresh air) was all adding to the new persona he'd created for himself, and each little change was a step further away from Allen Walker. He wasn't sure he liked all these changes, but apparently a couple of the local girls did, if the giggling, whispering and subtle pointing was anything to go by. Not that Allen, King of Obliviousness had noticed.

"Are you alright William?" Nelly asked when he sighed again.

He jerked visibly from his reverie. "Oh I'm fine" he reassured her, shifting his grip on the shovel he had been using to prop himself upright with. "I was just thinking."

"About those disappearances?" she asked, and then shook her head regretfully. "Terrible that, just terrible."

Allen's interest was piqued, though he wasn't surprised not to have heard the gossip despite spending so much time in town- he usually concentrated on the job at hand, blocking out any and all distractions so he could move on to the next job. "I haven't heard anything about it" he said. "What's been going on?"

"People have just disappeared" Nelly explained, her eyes gleaming as she fell into gossip mode. "Vanished, with hardly any trace at all. Sometimes clothes are found, and the odd pile of dust, but that's it." She leaned on her pitchfork and grinned. "Very strange, no?"

Allen tried to stop his face from showing his true emotions, merely allowing his eyes to widen a little in genuine surprise. "That _is_ strange" he agreed, his mind racing. Akuma, here? He was sure he was right in thinking that his innocence was luring them out. "And no-one's seen anything?"

"If they have, they aren't telling" Nelly said, shifting some straw with a heaving motion belonging to someone half her age.

0o0o0o0o0

With a sigh Allen shifted the basket he was holding to his other hand, surreptitiously glancing at the crowd gathered in the busy marketplace. His eye wasn't reacting to anything yet, but he wasn't about to let his guard down in such a place. Since his conversation with Nelly about the disappearances three days ago, he'd been keeping and eye and ear out for any more news, but the old woman was right- if any of the townspeople knew anything, they weren't sharing their information, which only made Allen more suspicious.

The basket jerked as Nelly piled a bundle of carrots into it, and he berated himself for drifting off when he should have been on the lookout for danger.

He was scanning the crowd once more when something caught his eye. He hoped to God he hadn't really just seen what he thought he had. He lay the wicker basket down at Nelly's feet and moved stealthily through the square, keeping his sights firmly set on the two people he had just spotted.

Up ahead, the broader of the two paused and looked around with unseeing eyes and a frown upon his face.

His tall slim companion turned to him, confused by the sudden halt. "Is everything okay Marie?"

Noise Marie turned around fully, and Allen froze to the spot for an instant before ducking away into the crowd to avoid being spotted, forgetting that at first glance nobody would recognise him.

Eventually Marie started walking again, though his puzzled expression still worried Crowley. "I just thought I heard" then he shook his head. "Never mind Alistair, let's continue with the investigation."

Allen watched as the exorcists disappeared into the crowd. If an exorcist team had been sent out then the Akuma problem must be worse than he thought. And now the exorcists _were_ here, it would be hard to explain what happened to the Akuma if Allen destroyed them. Not for the first time, Allen cursed Komui. Whatever the supervisor had promised, it was going to be very difficult for Allen to keep his whereabouts a secret from the Order if he kept attracting attention from the Earl's forces in this way. He was lucky that he hadn't run into any Noah yet- dealing with one was quite enough.

Satisfied that he was probably safe from detection for a while longer he made his way back to Nelly, who was still haggling the price of parsnips where he had left her. She didn't appear to have noticed his absence at all.

"Nearly done?" he asked her as he collected the basket from the ground ready to receive the vegetables.

"Nearly" she replied as she gave him the parsnips. "I just need to get some bread."

Allen winced internally. The bakery was on the other side of the square- in the direction that his former comrades had been walking in. He really wished he could let Nelly go alone so he could stay in hiding, but he knew that the old lady wouldn't be able to manage the several loaves she would be buying in order to feed him and her cane as well without help so instead he smiled brightly and hefted the basket further up his arm, gesturing with his free hand. "After you" he said politely, though his expression was mocking, knowing how much Nelly detested his overly formal mannerisms.

She smacked him across the back of his knees with her walking stick as she passed, chuckling at the pained expression on his face that he failed to stifle. "Behave yourself" she scolded lightly. "It's not nice to make fun of defenceless old ladies."

He laughed as he followed behind her. "You're hardly defenceless" he told her.

She turned and whacked him with her cane again. "You were supposed to say I'm not that _old_" she informed him.

Allen just grinned at her in reply. He'd grown rather fond of Nelly in the few short weeks that he'd been living with her, and was dreading the time when he'd have to move on, which, he realised, would be sooner that he'd planned thanks to the arrival of the two exorcists.

_He_ might not be instantly recognisable, but his innocence _was_, and if an Akuma attacked he'd have no choice but to fight.

He waited patiently while Nelly chose the bread, piling the still-warm loaves into the already overflowing basket as she handed them to him. That done, the old Frenchwoman decided it was time to head home, something that Allen agreed with enthusiastically since the smell of freshly baked bread was making him hungry, and the threat of being discovered by the exorcists was lurking at the forefront of his mind.

They had only gone half a mile when unease began to prickle the hairs on the back of Allen's neck. He paused, looking around worriedly, but could see nothing out of the ordinary. Nelly had continued walking and he hurried to catch up with her, still glancing around distractedly.

When the attack came, it was neither from the left nor the right. The Akuma drove upwards through the hard packed earth of the track they were walking, showering both Allen and Nelly with rock and dirt. Allen dropped the basket as he leapt backwards to avoid the attack, but he wasn't quite quick enough, and heard Nelly's cry of dismay when he was hit, the virus spreading rapidly through his body. He wasn't worried about that- his innocence would purify it before it could kill him, but Nelly was still standing stock still in the middle of the path, looking on in horror as his skin was covered in black pentacle markings. When the Akuma turned on her, apparently satisfied with infecting Allen, sure he was about to die, her feet became unstuck and she backed away unsteadily, dropping her cane in her haste. She too had apparently written Allen off, as she turned and began to stumble away, not once looking back. Allen didn't begrudge her survival instincts, he would have told her to run and leave him if she hadn't already done so, but on the other hand, he knew he wasn't going to die, and she didn't, so she really was just leaving him for dead.

It was to no avail though, even as Allen's innocence purified his own virus, the old woman disintegrated into a pile of dusty ash that whirled in an eddy of wind before blowing away.

Allen's moment of stunned disbelief distracted him long enough for the Akuma to move in for a second attack. Without conscious thought, Allen's gloved hand rose in front of the Akuma's face, the monocle over his left eye vanishing. **"Stop."**

The Akuma paused, unable to defy the order, but it looked confused, puzzlement written across its ugly face. "Lord Noah?" it asked, its eyes flicking to the hand held up before it- Allen's left hand.

The Noah smiled pleasantly. **"That's right. Now leave this place."**

The Akuma blinked stupidly at the innocence held up before it, as though the draw of it was too strong to ignore and the urge to have it overrode the Noah's orders. "I-"

The Noah's eyes flashed dangerously, a hint of gold breaking through the liquid brown. He pushed his tousled dark hair back from his face and heaved a regretful sounding sigh. **"Then I am sorry."**

The thin strings cut through the Akuma's body as though it was butter, and then it was gone with nothing but a whispering sigh of something like gratitude.

"Are you alright?" a familiar voice asked from behind him.

Crowley studied the boy who looked remarkably unphased by what he'd just seen, though his knees soon gave out and he gave a small whimper, clutching his head, his eyes screwed shut as though in pain. Then he blinked and the Romanian saw several emotions chase each other behind the dark eyes- fear, pain, sorrow and something that the tall man couldn't quite place.

"Did you get hurt?" Crowley tried again, laying a hand on the youths trembling shoulder.

His reply was a shake of the head as the boy visibly pulled himself together. _"What was that thing? What happened to my grandmother? What's going on? Who _are_ you?"_ he asked in rapid French.

Crowley blinked confusedly. "Sorry I- uh don't speak French" he apologised, although he realised how ridiculous that statement was, and called Marie over. The Austrian had been keeping watch a little way away and now headed over to the pair.

Allen repeated his questions, praying that the foreign language disguised his voice enough to make it unrecognisable to Marie, who relied so much on his ears.

The expression that Marie wore was oddly blank as he answered Allen's questions in fluent French. _"I'm sorry for your loss" _he added.

Allen sniffed, finding that the sorrow was genuine. _"Thank you. And thank you for saving my life."_

"_It's our job" _Marie said simply with a small shrug and a smaller, almost sad, smile. _"We must be leaving now Mr.-?"_

"_Pallas. William Pallas"_ Allen said with a little mental smirk. He knew that his name would be in the report to Komui and if the supervisor read it he would make the connection between it and the true identity of the person it belonged to. At least Allen _hoped_ so- Komui was a genius ad all, but he was also, well, _crazy_. And everything depended on him doing his work. A slim to none chance then, Allen thought with an eye roll. His only hope was that he was mentioned in the verbal report.

He suddenly noticed that Crowley was giving him a funny look. He subtly checked his reflection in the silver buttons on Marie's coat- no, his scar wasn't showing- so he figured he had been making faces as he thought. Only the expression on Marie's face didn't quite fit- he was frowning at Allen, a look of confusion and- God, Allen hoped he was wrong- recognition on his face.

Allen had to think quickly, remembering the reactions of the people who had been saved from Akuma in the past. Their responses had been varied but the pone thing they all had in common was the urge to get away as soon as possible.

He picked up the abandoned basket of groceries, casting a sad look at the dismal pile of clothes that were all that remained of Nelly, before backing away down the road. _"Well, thanks again"_ he muttered. His urgency to get away wasn't all an act- his head was pounding and his arm throbbed, and he desperately needed to sit down and begin to plan his next move.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Crowley asked worriedly. "You aren't hurt at all?" He made lots of gestures with his hands, apparently still believing that Allen did not speak English. Allen shook his head, but all that really did was to make his headache worse. He subtly moved the basket to hide the bleeding gash just below his ribs- if Crowley spotted the wound he'd immediately be able to see there was more to William Pallas than the exorcists were being told- an Akuma inflicted wound that bore no sign of the virus would certainly raise some questions.

It appeared that the Romanian took his word for it, because he smiled in a friendly way and moved to Marie's side, murmuring quietly to the other exorcist, though Allen could still hear every word. "All these disappearances are unlikely to be all down to one level two Akuma. Perhaps we should hang around a little longer?"

Marie nodded and gave Allen an appraising look, seeing far more that he would have even if he _could _use his eyes.

Allen felt his heart beat faster, and suspected that Marie had noticed, if the slight raising of a brow and intrigued look he was giving the ex-exorcist.

_They are staying longer?!_ Allen knew right then that he'd have to get out of there tonight. _"If you don't need me any more…"_ he began nervously _"I must be going. I will go and stay with relatives in Paris."_

Crowley smiled again, obviously not understanding a word of what was just said, and Marie nodded slowly. _"Goodbye then"_ he paused, his blind eyes running over Allen's figure once more before settling, Allen realised with mounting dread, on his left arm. "William Pallas."


	8. Chapter 8

As usual, thank you everyone who took the time to review. I know, I know, it's been forever since I updated, but don't worry, I'm not dead yet!

MitarashiiDango- Yeah, death to old ladies! I do rather like to kill off my OCs.

Darklink231- The whole thing blow over, so soon? But that would be so easy!

Addenza- I'm glad you like it!

Edenforest1- Sweet defenceless old lady with a walking stick of doom! Pity that she couldn't use it to bash the Akuma in!

Glon morski- Well Marie does have super ears, and can listen to the sound of innocence… *grin* you'll just have to keep reading!

Kawaiinojutsu- Don't feel sorry for her, she was a busy bodying old bat!

Marufu-chan- It's a job, I can't complain- it pays for my food at uni! Another one who's sad that Nelly karked it? How strange...

A1y-puff- Your birthday is on the same date? Ace. Can't wait for the art! And yes, more running away for Allen. In fact, he's run so fast he avoided being in this chapter all together!

Ramenluv- Shifty looking? Poor William, I'm not sure that was the look he was going for!

MidnightEmber- What will Marie do? Hmmm… good question…

CrimsonKitsune333- I'm so happy you love this story despite my inability to update with any type of frequency! More cookies? But I'm heading to the beach… fat… costume… oh what the hell *munches*

TheMostIgnorantOfUsers- Welcome aboard! Thank you very much for reviewing! I'm glad you're not offended by the slow pace, since there's not much I can do about it since each chapter takes an age to write! And having Kanda and Allen in different countries kind of puts a spanner into the relationship works!

MiniBloodyMurder- Yes indeed. What will happen now?.

XxMissyRandomxX- Marie is so under-rated! I'm on a mission to spread the Noise Marie love!

AnimeFreak4261- Hmmm, Allen and Kanda meet up soon? I guess that could be arranged! Thanks for reviewing!

SweetKakes35- YES! Somebody who spotted it! Thank you!

Kayday- Yes, we need Kanda to find out where Allen is hiding… How else can they share the love fuzzies?

Naruta13- You love it when characters suffer? You meanie! (lol, me too!)

Harrylover101- well then, just for you, an update, finally!

Duistere- Well, I might let Allen go back to his natural colour… eventually. Maybe… I'm glad you're enjoying Decline so far!

* * *

OMG, I am so sorry this chapter too so long to come out. Not only was I working, but I managed to get a couple of days off to go and join my family on holiday, so although I was able to write almost the entire chapter in the car on the way down, after that it kind of got put on a back burner. BUT! Back to normal now, so in-between shifts I'll be getting the next chapter done. And as an apology, this chapter is a little longer than average.

* * *

Predictably when Marie and Crowley walked into Komui's office upon their return, the supervisor was napping.

As usual the floor was carpeted with unfinished work and unread reports, so much so that it was impossible to even see what lay beneath, much less avoid walking on whatever it was, so the two exorcists just walked over everything (hopefully the oddly shaped objects beneath the rustling papers were future robot parts- it would save them the trouble of destroying the robot on completion). They looked at each other, then at the report that Crowley carried. No doubt if they put it down on the desk it would soon become lost among the coffee stained papers, and as much as the report contained nothing but the sparse details of their now completed mission, it would be a pain to have wasted their time on a report destined to become a new layer of floor decoration in Komui's office.

With a sigh Marie approached the sleeping supervisor. "Lenalee's getting married" he informed the snoring man wearily.

Immediately Komui sat upright, a loud "Noooooo!" erupting from his mouth before he'd even opened his eyes. "Not my precious L- oh" he said, catching sight of the two bemused exorcists. "Back so soon?"

Crowley handed over the report while Marie ran through the happenings of the mission.

Komui listened inattentively while scanning the single sheet of paper.

"After the initial attack in which there was one fatality and one survivor, there was no further sign of Akuma presence" Marie explained. "And there was no sign of any innocence in the area either."

"Really?" Komui asked surprised, glancing up. "How unusual." He read a few more lines of the report before frowning and skipping back. "Pallas?"

"The boy who survived the Akuma attack" Crowley told him. "His gran was killed in the attack."

Komui's eyes widened slightly. "Yet he survived? How? Did you notice anything unusual about him?" He was mainly talking to Marie, who tended to notice more than the average person. As Komui suspected, Marie had indeed noticed something, but it appeared that he was unsure whether to voice it.

Crowley shook his head. "I didn't sense anything strange about the kid, did you?" he asked, turning to his mission partner.

The other man said nothing for a moment, then he too shook his head.

"Very well" said Komui, though he gave Marie a considering look. "Go and rest up, there will be another mission for you in two or three days."

The two exorcists made to leave the room, but Komui called out: "Marie, just a moment, I need a quick word."

The vampire-like exorcist gave the other man a sympathetic look before making his escape, worried that he too would be dragged back into the office.

Once the door closed, Komui looked up at Marie. "So…" he began, wondering what to say. The fact that Marie hadn't said anything about this Pallas character and what he truly though, either meant that he didn't know whether Komui could be trusted, or he didn't know the so-called French boy's true identity.

If it was the former, then it was safe to assume that Marie was on Allen's side, as many of the people in the Order secretly were.

Marie was looking at a point over Komui's head and said nothing, waiting for the supervisor to continue.

"Pallas" the supervisor mused aloud. "Interesting name, don't you think?"

Marie's sightless eyes somehow managed to give Komui a look as though re-evaluating the man's intelligence.

"Pallas is the name of an asteroid discovered in 1802 by an astronomer called Heinrich Olbers" Komui informed the perplexed man. "But it is also the origin of the name of the element Palladium-" and here he gestured to a small, rather shapeless sculpture of a brilliant silvery-white metal that was almost buried under the toppling stacks of paper, forgetting for a moment that the other man couldn't see it. "-a rare metal, similar to platinum." He glanced up at Marie, whose broad face looked slightly uncertain. "Very pale, almost _white_.

Marie attention sharpened immediately.

Komui sighed, feeling suddenly drained. "Did he look well?"

"Supervisor?"

"Come now Marie, both you and I know that nothing gets past your ears. You can hear the voice of the innocence, can you not?"

Marie didn't answer- he didn't need to- Komui knew more about everyone's innocence abilities than anyone else in the Order.

"I know you don't believe he betrayed the Order, do you?" Komui pressed, an earnest expression on his face.

Slowly Marie shook his head.

"I'm not your enemy, Noise, and I'm certainly not his. If you don't believe me, you can check with Kanda, since he too knows the true situation. Of course, I'd rather you just trusted my word."

Whether it was the revelation that Kanda was in on the whole thing, or perhaps he saw something in Komui that made him trustworthy, but Marie let out a long slow breath and nodded once. "He seemed tired" he began thoughtfully. "Probably not eating enough- the area is hardly wealthy- and his innocence is weaker than when he left. I'm not sure he can even still invocate."

Komui looked worried, running a hand over his tired face. "Do you know what he plans to do now?"

Marie sighed. "He mentioned moving to Paris" he said "but he could have changed his mind."

"Thank you" Komui said, nodding and rearranging his beret absently. "I'll see you in a couple of days" he added by way of dismissal.

Marie turned to the door, pausing with his hand on the doorknob. "How long do you think he can stay hidden?"

Komui bowed his head, his glasses flashing in the light. "Hopefully as long as he needs to."

0o0o0o0o0

Lavi thumbed idly through the book laid open on his lap, though he had stopped taking anything in a while ago. He leaned on one arm, chin in hand, and allowed his eye to trail lazily over the words while his mind was otherwise occupied.

Now, 'Lavi' may act like an idiot, but the Bookman apprentice was far from being stupid, and while the rest of the Order may have blindly accepted that one Allen Walker had betrayed them and finally gone over to the 'dark side' as it were, Lavi was not one to take everything at face value.

He had noticed the changes occurring to the younger exorcist over the last few weeks before he vanished, the fatigued look that many just put down to hard mission after hard mission, the blatant disregard for his personal appearance.

Lavi had heard some gossiping finders musing that perhaps Allen was finally loosening up, but Lavi knew the truth- Allen wasn't loosening up, he was unravelling at the seams.

Many would have missed the flashes of a cold bitter emotion that sometimes clouded silver eyes, or the way Allen's gloved hands would clench as though holding himself back from hitting something, or even some_one_, and his gaze would always try to slide unseeing past reflective surfaces, face a rigoured mask of loathing.

Lavi also knew that Bookman was as aware of these changes as he himself was- and not only because the old man had taken him aside and told him, very seriously, to make sure he didn't forget his place- he was only there to watch and record, nothing more.

So Lavi held his tongue, no matter how many times he wished to go to the younger exorcist who, despite the fact that it went against all teachings of the Bookman clan, had come to be like a little brother to the redhead, to offer comfort, to tell him that despite what6 it seemed, Allen was not truly alone in this ordeal, but Lavi knew he could not. The line between the apprentice he was and the persona he was portraying was already blurred and he feared that such a step would erase it completely.

With a sigh he closed the book, dropping his head onto its cover and closing his eye. He didn't for one moment believe that Allen had deserted the Order- that he'd lost out to the fourteenth for control over his body. It just didn't add up. However unusual Allen had been acting that morning, he was in no doubt that it was still Allen in that body. And he didn't think that that had changed in those few minutes between the alarm going off and Allen disappearing through the Ark. Come to think of it- that alarm going off had been very convenient- Allen probably wouldn't have got away if Komui hadn't set one of his robots loose… Lavi's brain shuddered to a halt, his mouth falling open unattractively as everything finally slotted into place.

He stood abruptly, ignoring the book that he should really put away before old Bookman found it and chewed him out for his disrespect for the library, and was gone through the doors before he even realised he'd moved.

As he approached the supervisor's office he spotted Crowley leaving hurriedly and raised a hand in greeting. "Hey Crow-chan" he called "how did the mission go?"

The tall thin man smiled morosely. "There was no innocence in the area after all, and very few Akuma." He gestured to the door he'd just come through. "If you're here to see Komui, he's just talking to Marie" he said. "I'm going down to the cafeteria now, perhaps I'll see you later?"

"Bye Crow-chan" muttered Lavi absently, frowning at the office door in consideration. As a member of the Bookman clan, he was able to demand access to and meeting going on within the Order, but something told him he'd learn more on this side of the door. He glanced around, searching for eavesdroppers (other than himself) and pressed his ear to the wood.

"Pallas" he heard Komui say. "Interesting name, don't you think?" This momentarily confused Lavi, what did this have to do with anything? He listened to Komui's explanation, but it wasn't until the end of the little speech that Lavi's attention was hooked. "Very pale, almost _white_. This was it, they were talking about Allen. Marie didn't answer. Did Marie know where he was? Komui's next question made him sure of it- so wherever Allen was, Marie and Crowley had bumped into him on their mission… only Crowley hadn't looked like he'd just run into their supposed traitorous ex-comrade…

"Did he look well?"

Lavi wanted to know the answer to that question as well, but Marie seemed to be being deliberately obtuse. Maybe he didn't realise Komui was the one who helped Allen escape?

"Come now Marie, both you and I know that nothing gets past your ears. You can hear the voice of the innocence, can you not?"

With his ear pressed closer to the door, Lavi let out a silent 'ah' of understanding- of course, Marie wouldn't have necessarily recognised Allen himself, but Crown Clown would not be able to disguise its voice from those sharp ears.

"I know you don't believe he betrayed the Order, do you?"

Personally Lavi thought that Komui was taking a great risk. He must have been very stupid or else very sure that Marie was on Allen's side, but Marie must have made an answer indicating the negative, because Komui pressed on quietly, meaning Lavi had to lean closer to the keyhole to hear better.

"I'm not your enemy, Noise, and I'm certainly not his. If you don't believe me, you can check with Kanda, since he too knows the true situation. Of course, I'd rather you just trusted my word."

If Lavi's heart had been weaker, it may well have stopped working at that moment. _Kanda knew? _The Kanda Yuu? How on Earth had _that_ antisocial bad tempered exorcist managed to get in on the great conspiracy before Lavi himself had?

Perhaps it was the news that his somewhat brother, of all people, were on Allen's side, despite their famous antagonisms, that made up Marie's mind, but he began to talk, and Lavi listened eagerly for any information about Allen's well being.

"He seemed tired" he heard Marie say slowly, as though thinking hard about his answer. "Probably not eating enough- the area is hardly wealthy- and his innocence is weaker than when he left. I'm not sure he can even still invocate."

Scrubbing a hand over his face, Lavi frowned. He knew that Allen was able to take care of himself in a normal situation, despite his contradictory slight frame, but now? Already stressed and forced into confrontations he would usually have no trouble with had he been eating enough to satisfy his innocence… Lavi was well aware of the strain parasitic innocence put on its accommodator, and the added weight of the fourteenth Noah hanging over him…

"Do you know what he plans to do now?"

"He mentioned moving to Paris but he could have changed his mind."

"Thank you" Komui said "I'll see you in a couple of days."

Lavi realised that this meant the meeting was at an end and was about to make his escape before he was spotted when Marie's question caught his attention.

"How long do you think he can stay hidden?"

There was a short pause before Komui answered, and when he spoke, he sounded a lot more tired than he had at any other point during the conversation. "Hopefully as long as he needs to."

Lavi blinked as the office fell into silence once more and quickly moved away from the door as the sound of the handle being turned reminded him that Marie was about to exit. All thoughts of talking to Komui were now gone, his mind blank except for one thought. He had been right- Allen's disappearance- escape, he now realised- had all been planned, and though Komui had not said so explicitly, he suspected that more than the supervisor had been involved- it would never have gone so smoothly had Link not been included in some way. So what could they have been planning to do to Allen that was so terrible that Howard Link, uptight and stiff and a stickler for the rules had helped him get away? He made a mental note to ask Bookman, since he was positive the old man would know. Perhaps he had not informed Lavi because he didn't trust the redhead's ability to not get involved, but Lavi didn't have time to be hurt about that now. Komui had all the answers he wanted, but he suspected he'd have a hard time convincing the supervisor that he could be trusted (and for some reason, that hurt more than the fact that Bookman obviously didn't think he was able to do his job). No, Lavi had another, completely different source to pump for information. He just had to find him.

0o0o0o0o0

As Lavi predicted, Kanda was outside training, despite the terrible oppressive humidity and the turbulent sky that promised a storm. The clouds were black and brooding and there was a staticy feeling in the air that threatened lightening.

As soon as he thought it, a low rumble of thunder growled across the sky and the trees shifted restlessly in the steadily strengthening wind.

As usual, the Japanese man had obscured his eyes with a blindfold, his bound hair moving with the wind and Mugen held at the ready.

The fact that he himself wasn't moving told Lavi that the other man knew he was there and was waiting for him to state his business. And leave as soon as he had.

Since Kanda already had his sword drawn, Lavi figured it was safer to not open the conversation with the usual 'Yuu-chan'. He suspected that if he did, it would just start up a round of maim-the-rabbit and he'd not learn anything but how pissed off Kanda was that day, depending on what injuries he went to bed with.

Apparently Kanda was getting impatient, because he tugged the blindfold off irritably and turned dark eyes to Lavi, one eyebrow raised.

All in all, the expression was rather mild compared to the looks that Lavi was used to receiving, but Kanda's not-quite-relaxed stance, drawn sword and hair flying in the growing gale, backed by yellow tinged storm clouds while thunder grumbled threateningly struck a rather intimidating image and for the first time Lavi could appreciate why so many people were afraid of him. Not that he was, of course, he'd known Kanda for years and knew that beneath that scary exterior, Kanda was as soft as a kitten. Really.

"Hey Kanda," he said, watching as first surprise and then suspicion settled on Kanda's face.

"What do you want?" For Kanda the question was positively polite and Lavi grinned.

"I was wondering if I could have a word with you about Allen."

The suspicion on Kanda's face doubled, fine eyebrows contracting into a sharp frown. "What about the Moyashi?"

Mentally noting the continued use of the nickname (petname he snickered to himself) Lavi glanced up at the sky. "Shall we go inside? It looks like its about to-" a drop of water hit his face, then another, before suddenly the whole forest was filled with the sound of splashing water and visibility was reduced to almost nothing. He could only tell that Kanda hadn't moved because the black metal of Mugen reflected the lightening that scored across the sky. "-rain" Lavi finished, though the word was lost in the storm. He sensed rather than saw the eyeroll Kanda sent in his direction as he returned Mugen to its sheath before walking away. Lavi fell into step beside the dark haired man, neither saying anything.

By some unspoken agreement, they ended up in Kanda's room, the elder of the two being unusually tolerant. Perhaps he was grateful to have someone to talk to about what was going on, but more likely he wasn't even thinking about what he was doing- ever since Allen had gone, the Japanese man had been oddly distracted and introverted, and though he was no less rude than usual, it took more time to wind him up as his thoughts appeared to be turned inwards. "What do you want?" Kanda demanded to know, turning to Lavi and crossing his arms over his chest.

Lavi took this as an invitation to launch himself onto Kanda's bed, arms folded behind his head and knees bent, right foot resting on his left thigh, looking utterly relaxed.

Kanda scowled.

Lavi raised his hands defensively. "Hey, calm down. I really _do_ need to talk to you about Allen."

Still Kanda said nothing, but he relaxed slightly and sat down on the floor, leaning back against the wall. Finally he said: "what makes you think I have anything to say about that traitor?"

Lavi sighed, looking extremely put out. "I don't think he's a traitor" he closed his eye, listening as Kanda shifted uncomfortably. "And neither do you."

He opened his eye when that statement got no verbal response, to find Kanda glaring at him. "Fuck you Usagi, don't tell me what I think!"

"So you _do_ think he's a traitor?" Lavi questioned with a smirk and a raised eyebrow.

Kanda's glare intensified and he grit his teeth in annoyance.

"Come off it Yuu-chan" Lavi admonished with a wicked grin "I know you know all about it. I overheard Komui telling Marie how he helped him escape and your name came up." The redhead sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. "So you tell me what you know, and I'll tell you why Komui decided to include Marie in this little conspiracy" and he waggled his eyebrows temptingly.

Kanda remained stony-faced, but inside he was thinking hard. If Lavi already knew about Komui's involvement and hadn't blabbed… but what if Lavi was lying and trying to set them up? Would Lavi really do that? He didn't think so, but the redhead was more than 'Lavi' he was also Bookman Jr. Kanda only just managed to stop himself from shaking his head in confusion. Besides, Link was in on it too, and Lavi surely wouldn't have guessed that- and information for Leverrier always went via the blond braided inspector… dammit, he hated these kinds of situations.

"Leverrier ordered the Moyashi to be detained indefinitely and studied in order to gain information on the Noah clan." Kanda said, the words coming despite the fact that he hadn't really decided whether to tell Lavi anything or not. "The supervisor and inspector Link arranged for him to escape using the Ark."

"And how do you know all of this?" Lavi asked, satisfied that his earlier thoughts had been right.

"The Moyashi told me."

"_Allen_ told you?" Lavi asked incredulously.

Kanda scowled, sure he'd had the exact same conversation with Komui. "You know any other Moyashis?" he asked peevishly.

"Well, no," Lavi admitted. "But I didn't you actually _talked_. I thought it was always just flir- bickering."

Kanda didn't catch the slip. "So, what were the idiot and Marie talking about?"

"What? Oh- nothing much- only Marie ran into Allen on his last mission."

"_WHAT?!"_ Kanda exclaimed, n his feet in a flash. Then he saw Lavi's surprised, but still smugly knowing expression and sat back down almost sulkily. "I thought he was in disguise, how did Marie know it was him?"

Lavi rolled his eye. "You grew up with the man, you know what his hearing is like."

"He recognised Crown Clown?"

"Yup" Lavi said, punctuating it with a sharp nod. "But Crow-chan didn't recognise him, so it's alright."

"Che" Kanda said, turning his head away as though he had little faith in Crowley's abilities.

"He's going to Paris now," Lavi added. "Hey" he said suddenly. "Aren't you going there on a mission soon?"

"Day after tomorrow" Kanda grunted absently, already lost in his thoughts.

Lavi let him indulge in a little wool-gathering while he looked around Kanda's room. He'd only been in here once or twice before, but as far as he could tell nothing had changed since his last visit, which had been months before. Except… he cast a furtive glance at Kanda, who was wearing a small frown and staring at the floor as though it held the secrets of the universe, before rolling off the far side of the bed and snagging the bloodstained grey material from where it poked out from under the bed and holding it up. His eye widened as he recognised the material for what it was.

"Um… Yuu? Why is Allen's vest in your room? Covered in blood?"

Kanda's head jerked up and if Lavi wasn't mistaken (and it wasn't often he was), a small, very faint blush was spreading across Kanda's nose and cheeks and the tips of his ears turned pink.

At least that reaction proved Kanda not injured Allen in some way and kept the bloody clothing as some kind of souvenir. Lavi knew that if he spoke then Kanda would refuse to speak, and for good measure probably pull out his sword and behead him, so instead he kept quiet, waiting for Kanda to decide to talk.

"Forgot to give it back" Kanda said at length, getting to his feet and sitting down on the bed, taking the vest from Lavi and turning it over in his hands, an odd expression on his face.

"Why is it covered in blood?" Lavi asked, dreading the answer.

"Che" Kanda scoffed "idiot punched a window, cut his hand. We stitched it up." The explanation was succinct and to the point, but Lavi still felt he was missing half the story. It was unlikely that Kanda would add anything to the account despite how much Lavi wanted all the details. Especially since the blush that Lavi had seen earlier was still lingering, if only faintly.

Instead he asked "why did he punch a window?"

The expression on Kanda's face tightened. "The Fourteenth" he growled.

Lavi nodded in understanding and got to his feet. "Well, I've got things to be doing. Panda and I are leaving tonight. Good luck on your mission." He paused with his hand on the doorknob. "And if you see the sprout, don't forget to tell him that you love him!" And he ran through the door before Kanda could do more than blink at him.

"USAGI!"


	9. Chapter 9

My sister wants to disown me because I did a little squeal of delight when I saw the number of reviews that I got so quickly for this chapter. I don't think I've ever been quite so ecstatic! So thank you to everyone who did review, you've made one very stressed out author very happy indeed.

In fact, I am so very happy that not only is chapter 9 early, chapter 10 is almost complete too, so that shall go up shortly. YAY!! UPDATES APLENTY! Special thanks of course must go to a1y-puff, because of some spec-flippin-tacular fanart that made me motivated enough to stay up all night and knock up a couple of chapters! Must sleep now...

* * *

TheRainbowRider- Lol, glad to be of service! Everyone should have a little fanfiction in their life- it's what makes the world go round!

Naruta13- There may be a little bit of love in the air… And yes, Lavi needed some space just for him- there's not been much Lavi action so far…

sweetkakes35- It's hard to keep things like that in character, since really, would canon Kanda really be sitting there emo-ing over his run away Moyashi? I'm glad you think it wasn't too Over The Top or Out Of Character.

Scorpling- Since you asked so nicely, here's another chapter, just for you!

edenforest1- Thank you for the review, I'm glad you're enjoying this fic. And believe me when I say that I too am waiting anxiously to see what happens next…

SeikaDragon- Well, we need some proper Yullen soon, don't we? I think I might actually die if I don't get them at least in the same country soon!

marufu-chan- Thanks for reviewing! As usual, reviews make me work faster!

a1y-puff- I'm not quite sure, but I think little by little more and more people will get in on the secret. After all, everyone loves Allen, don't they? So not only Komui, Link, Kanda, Lavi and Marie, but there's also the scientists who packed the bags too… More people will know about the conspiracy than don't soon! As for Kanda meeting up with Allen on his mission… well, you'll just have to wait and see!!

Kanda-is-all-I-want- If it wasn't a word before, it is now, since I have officially adopted it! Hope you slept well, I know al about being up all night, though I'm glad you liked the fic enough to stay up and read it!!

Ramenluv- You speak for me too. I've been dying to get more Yullen in for the last few chapters, but the slight problem of being in separate countries made that a bit hard. But never fear, Kanda's little mission will be coming soon!!

XxMissyRandomxX- Spouse? Maybe it's an odd look into the future… Glad you're still enjoying it!

AlcoholicTree- And I try not to keep my reviewers waiting, so here's an update!

Addenza- Oh, don't read it again! I did last night and spotted hundreds of typos! I can't believe how sloppy I am when it comes to checking my work! I'd get a beta but I don't handle criticism well!

InfinityOnTheRun- I'm glad Decline is doing it for you! Hopefully _something_ will happen soon…

MiniBloodyMurder- ah never fear, we won't let Kanda wriggle out of this one, will we?

Darklink231- Well, since nobody should wait if they don't have to, here's the next chapter!

* * *

And yes, chapter of Allen filler-ness. But don't worry, since next chapter Kanda is in the same country as Allen, we might actually get somewhere! And yes, another OC. Though this one isn't going to kick the bucket with the same rapidity as Nelly. And Joe King (yes Bex, I did it, are you happy now?!) does actually have a purpose…

* * *

And to make things clear-

"English"

"_French"_

'**Fourteenth'**

'Thoughts'

* * *

Allen was seriously beginning to regret making the decision to come to Paris. The city, while completely different to the London streets he was more familiar with, was nothing more than a pretty coating for a cess pit of human suffering and despair.

Now, Allen had seen his fair share of the seedier side of life, mainly thanks to Cross, who might not have delved into it himself, preferring a high class, expensive (and clean) debaucher's lifestyle, but had no qualms about sending his young teenaged apprentice into the alleys and bars if it kept him in the standard of living to which he'd become accustomed, but not since the days before Mana found him had he been so deeply submerged in it.

He had never liked densely populated areas- as a child his left hand had made him a target for the other street children who enjoyed being able to hold power over someone who was even more worse off than them, and then, after the incident with Mana, his white hair and scar had attracted more attention, it that possible.

Even now, when his hair was an unremarkable brown (though he'd had to touch up his roots where the white had begun to grow through) and his scar was covered, he still felt as though all eyes were on him.

Thanks to the drunken down and outs with little to lose, he had quickly put together enough money to secure himself somewhere to live, though it was by no stretch of the imagination anything like a home.

A single dank room with a bed (sort of) and a fireplace (with no fuel) were the only things that occupied the tiny dismal space. That, and a minute grimy window that looked out over the rat-maze of alley-ways. Allen preferred to keep this window firmly shut.

The time that he didn't spend huddled on his damp bed, Allen was trying to lay low while making money- no mean feat.

Though he rarely frequented the same bar twice, rumours of the boy with long dark hair that never lost a card game quickly spread. This had two quite opposing effects- it made some people loathe to take him on, and yet it also made others seek him out, each determined to be one to relieve him of his title.

Absently he wondered what the time was. He used to be able to roughly estimate the time by how empty his stomach felt- breakfast, brunch, lunch, tea, dinner, supper and midnight snack were how he gauged the passage of time, but now he was perpetually hungry and he couldn't use his body as a clock anymore.

He reluctantly opened the window and looked out over the city. The sun had burned away any lingering clouds and the sticky humidity had given way to scorching sunshine.

As soon as the window was open a rather warm breeze filtered through the tiny casement. The sky above was hazy with smog, but as far as he could tell it was something around four o clock in the afternoon. He sighed and rested his arms on the narrow sill, enjoying the wind that toyed with his fringe.

Allen was just wondering how much longer he should wait before he ventured outside on one of his nightly gambling trips when his left eye activated. He leaned as far out of the window as he could, trying to pinpoint the location of the Akuma but having no luck.

He cursed loudly and pulled away from the window, dashing for the door and running down the five flights of narrow rickety stairs before exploding through the main door and into the alleyway beyond.

His eye was still rolling painfully, as though trying to impress upon him the severity of the situation.

"I know, I know" he muttered irritably as he cast around for some kind of clue.

A voice spoke up in his mind: **'you know, I could help you out if you just let me…'**

"Shut up" Allen snapped, so annoyed that the fourteenth, who had so far stayed quiet after the last Akuma attack where he seized control of Allen's weakened body as it purified the Akuma virus, had decided , now of all times, to make his presence known, that he actually spoke aloud.

'**Now, now, there's no need for that'** the smooth voice replied, sounding more amused than anything else. When Allen opened his mouth to give the Noah a piece of his mind, the disembodied voice began to laugh, a rich, almost pleasant sound. '**You do realise that talking to oneself is the first sign of madness.'**

Allen thought a long string of curses aimed at the Noah while still trying to both ignore the melodious laugh and pinpoint the location of the Akuma.

A very helpful, albeit terrified shriek was his first clue, and he spun on his heels and sprinted away, following the last wavering notes of the scream.

'**You're lucky that that scream happened when it did, otherwise you would have never found them- these alleyways are so easy to get lost in, after all' **the fourteenth said almost conversationally.

Allen clenched his teeth to withhold the litany of abuse he wished to unleash- instead he swallowed back the words and focused all his energy into his legs. Only a short distance ahead however, the alley split in three different directions. He skidded to a halt, casting about desperately for the right path.

'**Left.'**

Allen paused, chewing his lip indecisively.

'_**Le-ft!'**_the Fourteenth said in a sing-song voice.

Allen turned and peered down the left passageway before taking a step backwards and looking towards the other alleys.

'_**Why **_**would I lie?'**

"If you are, I'll-"

'**You'll what?' **the Noah scoffed. **'There's nothing you can do to me boy, now go left.'**

Allen sighed and tugged his ponytail uncertainly before he obediently went down the left turning, wondering what he'd find (if anything) and confused as to why he was following the Noah's instructions.

It appeared the Fourteenth hadn't been lying however, as he stumbled upon a very strange scene indeed.

A young boy was crouched on the ground at the back of the alley, holding a three foot long steel pipe (where he had got that from, Allen could only guess) and was using it to swipe at the two level-two Akuma that had trapped him.

Usually such an attack would have absolutely no effect on the Akuma, but it appeared that these two were particularly stupid, because all they were doing was standing just out of range of the pipe and just watching the boy bemusedly. Allen knew that this couldn't last much longer though- eventually the Akuma would get bored and just kill the boy (at least, Allen assumed it was a boy- it certainly _looked_ like a boy, but that scream earlier had been _very_ high-pitched).

"Ah!" one of the Akuma exclaimed, taking a hasty step backwards. "Little rat hit me!"

The other Akuma laughed at his companion, completely ignoring the boy who was now scuttling sideways like a crab to get away.

'**This is rather embarrassing…'** the Fourteenth muttered and Allen sensed that the Noah would like nothing more than to bury his face in his hands and forget about everything. For some reason this amused Allen, and he let out a snort of laughter, quickly smothering the sound when the other three occupants of the alley all paused what they were doing (that is, the boy stopped shuffling sideways and the two Akuma paused in their little slap fight), to stare at him.

'**Oh, well done genius'** the Fourteenth said, the eye-roll easily conveyed by his tone.

The two Akuma were giving him baffled looks, as though they could sense the Fourteenth's presence within him, but the distinct lack of Noah characteristics was obviously confusing their admittedly simple minds.

'Don't get involved' Allen told the Fourteenth curtly and sensed the mocking salute he got in reply.

'**As you wish'**

"_What are you doing!?" _the boy shrieked from where he was still trying to sidle out of the alley. Now he was closer, Allen could see that he was no older than thirteen, which explained the girly scream anyway, wearing knee length light brown trousers (or they had been light brown at one point, now they were so grubby it was hard to tell), a grimy off white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, displaying skin that was just as, if not more, dirty than the clothes, marked here and there with grazes and bruises, and an overlarge tan vest that flapped open over his skinny frame. His feet were clad in stout brown boots that were in a much better condition than the rest of the ensemble.

"_Get out of here!"_ the boy said again, casting a terrified look back at the Akuma and brushing shaggy thick black hair out of hazel eyes. Allen noticed that he hadn't relinquished his hold on the pipe.

"_Get behind me, You'll be fine"_ Allen told him with a reassuring smile.

The boy just stared at him incredulously. _"Are you crazy!?" _he shouted, waving his arms in the air and almost knocking himself out with the steel pipe still clutched in his right hand

Allen blinked at him in surprise, momentarily forgetting about the two Akuma who had resumed bickering- this time over what to do about the newest addition to their little party.

"_Maybe a little"_ Allen agreed cheerfully as he pulled off his left glove. _"Now, stay out of my way" _he said and activated his innocence. It hurt like hell and didn't look quite like it should, in fact, it looked downright unhealthy, but it worked, just about, and it would be enough to deal with these two bozos.

Behind him he heard the boy gasp with shock as Allen's white cape unfolded behind him, shielding the boy just in case Allen wasn't able to destroy the Akuma quick enough, but it was easily ignored as he destroyed the two Akuma in one move while they were still deciding on how to kill him. It was a testament to how powerful he had been before he went on the run- he knew that his synchronisation rate had taken quite a hit, but he could still destroy these Akuma with ease. When he deactivated however, it was another story. His entire left side was throbbing dully in protest.

"_Well shit"_ the boy said in an awed voice, looking Allen up and down. _"That was freaking amazing! I'm Joe, by the way"_ he said, extending a hand to shake.

"_William"_ Allen said, taking the offered hand and feeling grateful that he could use his right hand to do so. Perhaps Joe was afraid of the left hand, but at least it meant that he didn't have to move it. Should Joe have offered his left hand to shake, Allen feared he'd have been overcome with Kanda-itis and been forced to decline. The thought made him smile a little. He pulled on his left glove with clumsy movements and looked at the younger boy. _"Well, I'm off now"_

"'_Kay"_ Joe said amicably.

Allen, feeling like he was missing something, began to walk away, only to discover that Joe had fallen into step beside him. _"Can I help you?"_

"_I want to thank you for saving me from those…things, back there" _Joe said awkwardly. _"I had a good baker's run this morning, so do you want some bread?"_

Allen's stomach immediately agreed, and truthfully, so did the rest of Allen's exhausted body- that invocation had really taken it out of him. _"I can't take your food!" _Allen protested, much to his body's displeasure. His stomach's indignant rumblings tried to drown out his words.

Joe stared at Allen's stomach in fascination, prodding it curiously. _"Do you have some kind of animal hidden under there?"_ then he looked up at Allen. _"No, probably not, you're too skinny to have anything shoved up your shirt."_

Allen tried not to be insulted by the fact that this was the second person he'd met since he left to suggest that he was below average development wise. _"I'm just hungry, I haven't eaten in a while" _he admitted.

"_Well, come on then. And don't worry about taking my food- I've got loads, and its not like I paid for any of it"_ Joe added smugly.

Since beggars can't be choosers, and his stomach was _begging_, Allen decided to follow the boy back to whatever base he called home.

0o0o0o0o0

When they arrived, it was clear that Joe's living conditions were far worse than Allen's own, but when he saw the contents of what had been euphemistically dubbed the 'pantry', but was in reality a space behind the ancient wood panelling that served as a good hiding place, Allen would have gladly swapped places. There was far more food than he would have expected secreted away in the walls.

Joe threw him a loaf, one of several lined up on a shelf. _"Eat the whole thing. They're usually rock hard by the time I get to the last one."_

Allen didn't need telling twice and began tearing into the bread. It was a little dry and hard to swallow, but Allen couldn't have been happier and had soon polished off the loaf, moving on to licking his finger to pick up stray crumbs. Well, waste not…

He must have looked rather pathetic, because Joe took pity on him and handed him another loaf and a couple of knobbly apples.

"_You live alone?"_ Allen asked between mouthfuls.

Joe nodded. _"My parents died a couple of years ago, so since then its been just me."_

"_How old are you?"_

"_I'm thirteen. And a half" _said Joe a little defensively.

Allen whistled. He knew what it was like to grow up on the streets, since much of his early years had been spent doing the same thing.

"_What about you?"_ Joe asked.

Allen thought for a moment. "_Well, you saw my arm? What I can do with it? It's called innocence, the power of God contained in small cubes that choose a person to wield them, either reforged as weapons or, like me, as an actual part of their body. But when I was born my parents didn't understand and abandoned me on the streets, which is where I grew up."_

Joe stared at him wide eyed. _"So you've been on the streets ever since?"_

Allen smiled wistfully. _"No, just a few years. When I was about eight or nine I guess, I'm not really sure, Mana found me and took me in. He was a clown with a travelling circus and I helped him with his act, but then… Mana died. So I was alone again." _He smiled at the expression on the younger boy's face. _"I spent a few years with my Master, who I guess was like a teacher to me, though I'm not sure everything I learned was useful. But he died recently too, and I had to leave my home. And now here I am."_ He wondered why he was telling his life story, albeit an abridged version to this complete stranger. Perhaps he saw something of himself in the younger boy. How he could have turned out had Mana not plucked him from the streets.

A loud noise startled him from his thoughts. It appeared that the neighbours were having some sort of domestic.

"_Is it always like this?"_ he asked Joe, who just shrugged in response.

"_It varies. It's a brothel"_ he added, as though it explained everything. In a way it did, but although Allen had seen his fair share of brothels, but none like this. The houses his master had frequented had been clean and luxurious, expensive and exclusive, not these disease ridden whore houses.

"_You fucking slag. Syphilitic whore! Get out of my fucking sight!"_ was heard through the wall, accompanied by the sound of something breaking. Allen was surprised his French was good enough to recognise some of the curses that followed.

Joe swallowed. _"It's really scary sometimes"_ he said in a tiny voice.

Allen looked at him, head to one side before coming to an abrupt decision. _"Get all your things together, as much as you can carry. You can move in with me. It's not much, but I have slightly better neighbours."_

Joe looked conflicted, an odd mix of relief and worry. He wrapped his arms around himself, biting his lip as he thought.

"_Old clapped out harlot! That goes for the lot of you! You're not worth my time! Get out! I need some real talent in here, not you saggy old trollops!"_

Joe seemed to come to a decision rather quickly after that. _"Yes, please."_


	10. Chapter 10

Thanks for the reviews! I know it's only been a few days since I updated, but I'm on a roll! Yay for Allen and Kanda, in the same country, IN THE SAME CITY, no less!

CrimsonKitsune333- Well, since you asked so nicely, here's a review, just for you!

xxSnowxxAngelxx- Gotta love little Joe!

darklink231- Well, really who would Joe tell? And I have... uh, nothing planned for Joe beyond chapter 12... Hmm... I'll try not to off him just becasue I can...

Kayday- I'm glad that the fic made you feel better! And yay, you think Joe's cute!

AnimeFreak4261- Well heree you are, one update as asked for!

Tarshil- Lol, I'll reply to your last review here, and sometime within the next couple of hours I'll go through all the previous ones! Sorry I haven't replied before now, but I've been up to my eyeballs in life! Thanks for the reviews anyway! Thanks for offering to beta, and were I anyone other than the prideful, egotistical person that I am I would take you up on that offer!

* * *

Allen dusted off his hands, looking around as he did so. He had to admit, the view from up here was rather spectacular. He swung easily from his perch atop the Eiffel Tower, wrapping his legs over a thick steel girder and looping an arm around a vertical support to better enjoy it.

The summer breeze, cooler now that it was night lifted his hair momentarily and he tipped his head back to enjoy it more. Glancing at the sky though, he realised it was getting late and if he wanted to cheat someone out of their money tonight he'd have to get a move on.

With one last glance at the cube glowing faintly above him, he swung himself down on the girders and began his descent.

He was rather glad that he had stumbled across Joe when he did. Though the boy did have some odd habits, like never changing in front of Allen for one, was a remarkable asset to his survival, and in the few short days since he had invited the young teen to live with him, Allen had felt better than he had since he left the Order. He wasn't quite sure how Joe did it, but somehow there was always food hidden away in their room that the boy had 'picked up' from somewhere or other.

The benefit of this, other than the fact that nobody had to listen to Allen's stomach complaining, was that he could invocate with ease. Though nowhere near at the level that he was before this whole thing started, at least it didn't hurt anymore, and destroying the small swarm of Akuma that had been attempting to steal the innocence had been a walk in the park. He'd almost enjoyed it.

He used his Clown Belt to swing down the rest of the way, moving quickly so that the stark white did not stand out for any length of time and attract unwanted attention.

When Allen landed soundlessly between the massive feet of the steel structure, he deactivated his innocence and stuffed his hands into his pockets, whistling softly and vanishing into the night.

0o0o0o0o0

For once Allen was worried. He hadn't been concentrating on the game at hand; his mind was far away with the innocence cube currently sitting atop the Eiffel Tower. At least, he assumed it was still there- he'd been stuck in this dingy, smoke-clouded bar for several hours, so for all he knew the innocence could have been collected already, whether by exorcist or Akuma was anyone's guess.

He squinted through the smoke that hovered above the table at his opponents. For men clinging to sobriety by the tips of their grubby fingers, they were playing rather well.

Allen suspected he was not the only one guilty of cheating. Either that, or the water sitting at his elbow wasn't water at all, but he was more inclined to believe the former- he hoped he could trust Luc, the barman, more than that, since Allen's presence in his pub drew in more customers than he would usually get in a week.

Once word of the mysterious unbeaten poker player's whereabouts had got out, people would start arriving, hoping to witness the master at work, or perhaps to be the one to break the winning streak.

One of then men across the table grinned and fanned his cards impressively. Allen rolled his eyes, not fooled in the slightest. The technique of distracting ones opponent was far older than he was, and the very first method for substituting cards that he had learned.

"_Now, now, that's not very gentlemanly"_ he admonished, watching the two men start in surprise. He grinned to himself, demonstrating the correct way to slip his own cards into his hand. Neither man opposite noticed a thing.

At his side Joe made a small movement as though he itched to make a comment but held himself back just in time.

'Much better' he commented to himself, surveying the cards arrayed in front of him. He offered the two men across the table a pleasantly bland smiling face, though inside his grin was wide and he was mentally celebrating. _"All in."_

The men glanced at each other, then at their own separate hands, before turning to someone in the crowd as though seeking permission. They must have received it, because their coins were shoved roughly into the centre of the table.

"_Call" _the one on the left grunted. His partner laid down his hand with a grimace, revealing nothing but a pair of sixes. Allen wondered vaguely if the men had been cheating at all.

He laid down his own cards with a carefully crafted blank face, trying hard not to react at all to the stunned silence that fell over the bar as he laid down his royal straight flush. He didn't even have to say anything- everyone present knew who had won. His remaining opponent threw down his cards bitterly. His hand was better than his partners but he hadn't managed to cheat his way to Allen's level.

Allen gathered his winnings, still with his blank face. He knew (from experience) that if he celebrated too early things could turn ugly. The two men turned from the table and were immediately accosted by another group of men who had been flanking the one from whom they had sought permission earlier. The man himself was making his way over to Allen. Joe had vanished into the crowd with the winnings, probably on his way home to put the money somewhere safe.

"_Good game"_ he congratulated, placing a jovial hand on Allen's shoulder. The man may have looked friendly enough, but Allen didn't trust him as far as he could spit. And there was something lurking behind his expression which made Allen think that the man was displeased about something.

"_Thank you"_ Allen said, attempting to free himself from the man's grip, which had suddenly tightened.

"_You're very good"_ the man added. _"I'm Jean-Francois"_ he said, offering the hand that wasn't still holding Allen's shoulder.

Allen raised an eyebrow, allowing himself a small smirk. _"I'm good at the game"_ he allowed, _"William"_ he added, taking the man's hand and standing up a little straighter as all his senses warned him of danger.

The man's light-hearted manner dropped in a second, and it felt like the very air had turned cold. _"You're good at cheating; I could use someone with your talents. Now I won't make a bit deal out of it if you return the money."_

Allen cocked his head to one side. _"I don't know what you're talking about"_ he said, shrugging off the man's hand and taking a step back.

"_You won't get away that easily, boy!"_

Allen took another step backwards and saw his chance. With one foot he lashed out suddenly at a table, knocking it over and spilling beer all over the occupants. In the melee that followed, he managed to slip out of the door and into the night.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Kanda was bored. He'd already located the innocence that had been resting, for whatever bizarre reason, on the very top of the Eiffel Tower, but strangely had not come across any Akuma.

By all rights he should be going back to the Order, innocence in hand, but Allen was supposed to be somewhere in this city, and he'd be damned if he came this close to checking on the Beansprout and failed to do so. He told himself it was because he needed to find out whether it was Allen destroying the Akuma or if they had a bigger problem on their hands.

If he repeated it enough, he might actually start to believe it himself. He scowled, the parting words from Lavi coming back to haunt him. "Stupid fucking rabbit."

After some deliberation, he had decided to start with the roughest area of the city that he could find. After all, there would be plenty of people for Allen to swindle out of their money.

He had been wandering around this maze for a couple of hours, refusing to admit he was lost (since that was Allen's department, not his) when he heard some shouting coming from up ahead.

Three frightened looking men scurried past him, one clutching an arm to his chest and another sporting a very broken nose. They were muttering under their breath, and Kanda couldn't be sure, but he thought he caught the word 'demon' in there, a word that exorcists were taught to recognise in several languages if they understood nothing else.

Interest piqued, he hurried towards the shouting.

The voice sounded desperate, calling out a name and what sounded like pleas. He quickened his steps as he rounded the last corner and fell upon the scene which was not at all what he was expecting.

The child, the one that was calling, was kneeling beside a blood soaked figure, hands urgently trying to staunch the flow coming from somewhere on the taller- boy's?- back. The figure had long hair, so he couldn't be sure, but Kanda was the last person eligible to make assumptions on the person's gender based on hair length. Besides, he was pretty sure that the name the shorter one had been calling was a male one. He'd go with male- if the figure _was_ female, she must have been upset at her lack of… womanly attributes.

There was another man sanding nearby, his back to Kanda, cleaning off a knife calmly as he lounged against the wall, having not appeared to have noticed the new arrival.

Already in a bad mood, Kanda drew his blade in a single swift motion and laid it firmly on the knifeman's neck.

"Che" he growled, pressing the metal harder into the man's jowly neck. "As if human's don't have enough trouble without killing each other too."

He heard a noise of pain coming from the bleeding figure, the tone and pitch confirming his guess on the gender, before allowing the man to turn and face him. He leaned closer, tapping his uniform with a free finger. "See this? I'm an exorcist" he said, his voice a low growling whisper and he watched in satisfaction as the man, whether he understood the words or not, recognised the Rose Cross and realized the implications of the uniform before him and the sword at his neck. "This means I can kill you without people asking too many annoying questions" Kanda continued to press his point home. Metaphorically of course. While the world might not miss scum like this, there would definitely be some kind of repercussion if he decided to just randomly off some human. "If I were you, I'd get the fuck out of here before I make good with that threat" Kanda suggested, jerking his head to emphasise his meaning.

The man didn't need telling twice- he ran before Kanda had even fully removed his sword from his neck.

"Che" Kanda scoffed, sheathing Mugen, turning when a rapid burble of French caught his attention.

"_Please! Help me! He's dying!"_

0o0o0o0o0

Allen crashed into a wall, bouncing off it and continuing to run- he could still hear the pounding of feet behind him and knew that if he stopped the men would be all over him. It would just be his luck that he would run out of it right now- he thought that he'd lost them at the bar, but apparently these men weren't as stupid as they first appeared.

He was far enough ahead now- if he could just get home they'd never find him. He spared a thought for Joe, hoping he'd got back safely. He could take whatever these idiots could dish out, though he'd rather not, but the thought of the younger boy receiving such a beating… All thoughts skidded to a halt when he realised that his appalling sense of direction had once again resulted in him being lost- and trapped down a dead-end alley.

The footsteps were gaining now.

Allen slapped his hand against the wall in frustration. He was going to have to fight his way out- hopefully the gang had split up among the many twists and turns that he taken them down and he wouldn't be forced to take on all of them at once.

Luck wasn't on his side- or maybe it was- as four of the nine men came round the corner, grinning wickedly and cracking their knuckles in a way that made their intentions perfectly clear.

"_So here you are, little William"_ the man at the head of the procession said as he stepped out of the darkness, his smile dripping malice. Allen immediately recognised the ring leader of the little group.

Allen backed up to a wall so they couldn't surround him. _"Yeah, here I am. Why? You idiots got something for me?"_ He grinned in a cocky manner, all politeness vanishing as he dropped back into the long forgotten language of the streets with ease.

"_I think you've got that the wrong way round" _Jean-Francois snarled. _"I want the money you cheated me out of you little brat."_

"_I don't have any idea what you're talking about" _Allen said, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the wall nonchalantly.

One of the other men growled and attempted to take a step forward, only to be stopped by the hand of the leader. _"Wait" _he murmured before turning back to Allen. _"I like you kid, in a few more years you could be ruling these streets" _and he gestured at the squalor around him. _"But nobody likes a cheater, so I think that you need a lesson. Hopefully once it's over you'll not need another. Like I say, I like you. When you've recovered, come see me."_

The irony of that statement astounded Allen. Wasn't it Jean-Francois' men who attempted to out-cheat him in the first place? He raised his eyebrows. 'When you've recovered?' Just what exactly were these idiots planning on doing to him? What did they think they'd be _able_ to do to him? He laughed suddenly, startling the men ranged in front of him.

"_He's crazy"_ one of the men whispered _"Maybe we should get out of here."_

"_Shut up. We're not going anywhere 'til this little cheat learns his lesson. Get him."_

Allen rolled his eyes. How cliché.

His left fist hit the first man so hard that his nose broken and he fell backwards, reeling in shock. The others seemed to realise that they had seriously underestimated their opponent and slowed their charge, but that didn't save the second man from an attack as Allen reached out and grasped his wrist with his innocence powered left hand, clenching strong fingers hard enough for the bones beneath the Frenchman's skin to grate against each other. The guy he'd floored with the first punch had already backed away, apparently determined that a broken nose would be the extent of his injuries, and this one looked like he'd had enough too, so Allen let him go with an extra squeeze that cracked the man's wrist.

Jean-Francois looked both perplexed and outraged, watching as his two injured man and the one lucky enough to avoid being hurt ran away, apparently whatever loyalty they'd had for him had disappeared.

"_Just let it go"_ Allen advised, turning to walk away. On reflection that probably wasn't the cleverest thing to do, but he thought he'd be able to doge any punch the man threw at him.

Allen hadn't been counting on the man carrying a knife.

He felt it slide into his back, just above his left hip, but oddly felt no pain even as the blade withdrew. He slumped forward against the wall, his palms sliding across the bricks as he struggled to remain upright.

Blood was seeping through his shirt and vest and trailing lower, dying the left side of his trousers a dark brown that shone wetly. He coughed raggedly, concerned that nothing really hurt, before realising his body was going into shock. Belatedly he noticed that he was kneeling on the floor, head bowed and palms splayed on the wall before him. Distantly he heard Joe calling him, telling him not to die. Well, he wasn't planning on it, but his eyes slid shut of their own accord and he rolled bonelessly onto his right side, his right hand wrapped around his body to clutch at the wound as though to hold the blood inside, but it just kept coming.

"_Not so tough now, are you boy?"_ Jean-Francois sneered from somewhere nearby, but it was all irrelevant now. He only hoped that Joe would not do anything stupid and would stay away.

'**You're dying boy.' **The fourteenth sounded almost… sad. **'Let me in, I can save us.'**

'No' Allen thought, though it as an effort to string two words together. 'If I do, my friends will be in danger.'

'**Don't be foolish! Do you want to die?"**

'If it saves innocent lives then it would be worth it!'

The Fourteenth sighed regretfully. Eventually Allen would be too weak to fight back, and the Noah would be able to force his control over the body they shared, but truthfully he didn't want it to end like this- it was a bit of an anti-climax really.

Suddenly there was a motion at his side as Joe flung himself down. _"Oh God, William! There's so much blood!"_

Allen grinned weakly at him, but for some reason that only made the younger teen cry harder. Joe turned and glared at the man who had done this, but to his surprise he had bigger things to worry about.

A man with long dark hair, dressed all in black was holding an equally black sword against the Frenchman's neck.

Joe didn't recognise his ethnicity, though he knew he was from the East. He was taller than both him and William, that much he could tell, though that didn't mean he was particularly tall himself, he realised, since he was a good two inches shorter than William and he wasn't entirely blessed in the height department.

"Che" the man said, scowling darkly. "As if humans don't have enough problems without killing each other too."

He was speaking English, Joe realised, but that meant he couldn't understand most of what he said, though he could tell from his tone that he was very pissed off.

Beneath his hand Allen jerked a little and he soothed him, pulling his hair back from his face and rubbing his arm in a comforting gesture.

0o0o0o0o0

Allen opened his eyes slightly something breaking through the haze of nothingness and drawing him back into partial consciousness. He'd thought he'd heard… but that wasn't possible… he groaned as his thoughts started to solidify and pain started to make itself known. He knew that voice. Heck, he'd had dreams about that voice (but he would be damned before he admitted to it). The voice that belonged to the only person in the Order that had cared, in his own brusque manner, about Allen's well being.

Perhaps it was best that his voice had all but fallen silent, and the questioned name came from his lips as nothing more than a whispery moan.

"Kanda?"

0o0o0o0o0

Joe heard the foreigner speak again, though he didn't hear the words, and the sound of running feet as the thug ran away, obviously frightened off by whatever the other man had just said.

He turned desperately to the man in black. _"Please! Help me! He's dying!"_

0o0o0o0o0

Kanda blinked. His French wasn't all that good, but he understood enough to see what was going on. Of course, the semi conscious body lying in a pool of his own blood was his first clue. He was half tempted to walk away, but that kind of defeated the whole purpose of getting involved in the first place.

He knelt beside the young boy, glaring at him to make sure he backed off and stayed the hell out of his way, before dropping his gaze to the body and lifting up the bloody shirt and examined the wound, not paying too much attention to the rest of the slender, though muscled, back of the teen.

The wound was deep, but as far as he could tell it hadn't hit anything too vital- if he stopped the bleeding the boy should live. He needed something small to plug the wound with. He looked around for something suitable and noticed that the prone figure was wearing gloves. He ripped the right one off unceremoniously, bunching it up and pressing it into the wound.

The youth arched his back, gritting his teeth against the pain, though a low moan still escaped, too tortured to be contained, and hands scrabbled at his back to push Kanda away.

Kanda grabbed the flailing right hand and placed it over the balled up glove. "Keep it there" he instructed, not knowing whether the boy could understand or not. "I need your other glove."

"No."

Kanda frowned, not expecting the by to be fully conscious, never mind resistant. "Don't be an idiot. You want to bleed to death?"

"Be 'kay" the boy insisted, and Kanda had a sudden flash of de-ja vu, of a dark corridor and a floor puddle with blood, running from a certain sprout's right hand.

He looked down at the scarred right hand covering the wound. Now life on the streets was bound to leave marks, but here? In the same place?

Now Kanda wasn't a great believer in coincidence, so, ignoring the weak protest from the youngest of the trio, who had been watching silently, a little afraid of the surly older man, he placed his hand onto the bleeding man's back, feeling uneven, scarred tissue beneath his palm, but he didn't have time to investigate now, though he was sure that he would find a raised cross marring the otherwise smooth flesh, and turned the boy over onto his back, brushing matted brown hair off an ashen, though tanned, face and frowning at the lack of a curse mark that he more than half expected to find there. "Other glove" he ordered, his heart rate increasing (not that he'd admit to it).

The boy was obviously too weak to resist fully, but he did try and roll over onto his side to hide his glove encased hand from sight. When Kanda managed to get hold of the hand, he could have sworn he heard a weak protest of "no, Kanda", before the fight finally left the boy and he fell slack.

Kanda did not know what to feel when, as he had expected, a reddish-black hand slid into sight as he removed the glove.

He grit his teeth, settling on annoyance for the moment. Typical. When was he not saving the Moyashi's life? "Allen fucking Walker, if you even think of dying, I'll kill you."


	11. Chapter 11

MitarashiiDango- Ah, the 14th isn't strong enough to take over yet, unless Allen's really, really out of it, so luckily Kanda got there just in time! Yay! And yeah, someone stabbed Allen, but he'll get over it.

Myaeve- Lol, _'like a fat kid loves cake'_. That actually gave me the giggles for a moment! And you think the next chapter's going to be epic? No pressure then, huh?

sweetkakes35- Joe is thirteen (and a half). And yeah, I left it there, but that's mainly because I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO WRITE NOW! *searches for inspiration* hmmm

ramenluv- Your guess is as good as mine as to what happens next… honestly I only have a vague idea… I'll have to see what appears on my pages when I am on the bus to work…

InfinityOnTheRun- Yeah, as you may have already noticed, I'm waiting to find out what happens too!

marufu-chan- I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. I thought it was about time that Kanda and Allen actually saw each other again. Not that Allen did much seeing by the end…

Lizeth- You know exactly what I'm going to say… How could you?! (You were so right- I hate that!)

Tarshil- Yay! Applause! *Inner narcissist bows*. Yeah, I hate really pathetic Allen as well. Seriously, he's the hero, he shouldn't be quite so weak as he is sometimes portrayed. Your marrow tingles? I'm pretty sure you should get that seen to! Lol. Thanks for the review as always!

CrimsonKitsune333- I'm glad you're still into the story. And of course Kanda cares, albeit in a rather rough and abrupt way. His own brand of tough-love!

knux33- Okay yeah, the likelihood of Kanda and Allen meeting up was extremely high, and very predictable, but creating twists has never been my strong point and we were all desperate for a bit of Yullen, weren't we?

Kanda-is-all-I-want- You're not the only one, the stress of keeping them apart was killing me slowly!

a1y-puff- I'm glad you liked the reunion, and even more glad that you like Joe! I'm trying not to be too biased, but I do end up getting rather attached to certain OCs, and you can always tell which ones they are, cos I don't kill them! Joe's big break is coming soon, but after that, who knows?

SeikaDragon- aha! Wait no more! Thanks for the review!

Tana Walker- I'm glad you thought so! Thanks for reviewing!

Addenza- the wait is over! I'm so happy that you liked the chapter!

MiniBloodyMurder- Ah, that's one of life's great mysteries! Or not, since it explains how Joe arrived so quickly in this chapter!

edenforest1- I'm glad the suspense isn't really killing you… offing the readers isn't what I had in mind when I started writing…

XxMissyRandomxX- Well, once I've got a chapter done, I can't wait to upload it! I'm so happy that you like my OCs. I really like Joe too, so he'll probably stay alive for now!

MiniBloodyMurder- Young love- the best kind. Not that I'd know anything about that- the closest thing I get to love is the feeling I get when presented with a warm chocolate fudge cake and ice cream.

Princess of Oblivion- Wow, all in one go? That's some dedication!

eMi to mAo 374- I'm glad you remembered me, and even more glad that you came back for more! I'm trying my hardest to keep to weekly updates, but while I'm still away from Uni (and doing re-sits and trying to find somewhere to live) it's all up in the air at the moment.

glon morski- I'm sorry that the chapter disappointed you. It wasn't my intention to make Allen seem weak, however, do remember that he has been living rough for a couple of months now and is not completely up to his usual standards! And Kanda didn't really save him- he only scared the man off a bit- it's not like Allen would have died. Joe would have come to his senses and done _something_ eventually!

* * *

At last, plot advancement! (sort of) I'm pleased that most people seemed to enjoy the last chapter, it was fun to write.

So on we go… I actually had nothing planned for this chapter when I'd finished the last one. I had been so caught up with getting chapter 10 done that I hadn't thought much beyond it, so that's why this took a little longer to come out.

On a side note, the fantastic fanart by a1y-puff is now on Deviantart, so go now and look at it! NOW! The link is on my profile. Of course, don't forget to come back and read the chapter, yeah?

* * *

Joe had never considered himself to be a coward. He'd been through a lot in his short life, after all, but when he had reached the street that his and Allen's front door was located, gasping for breath and clutching the money that had been won on that night's poker game, he could honestly admit to being frightened.

After he had left the bar, taking the winnings out of harms way as usual, he knew at once that something was wrong. He'd only gone a few streets when the sound of a brawl coming from the pub he'd just left reached his ears and he had paused indecisively for a moment, wondering what William would want him to do.

Eventually he had settled on getting the money hidden away at home- William would not be too happy if he found out that Joe had managed to lose the cash because he was dawdling on the way back to their room.

He had dutifully hidden the stash away under the loose floorboard under the bed before taking a seat on the damp mattress and settling down to wait.

Being the typical teen he was, patience was not his forte and after five minutes he was getting bored. Leaning out of the window, he could see out over the slums, and in the closest alleys he watched a few people scurrying about. A trio of men hurried along the road below him, whispering together in harsh voices, gesticulating fiercely. It was dark, but the lights coming from one of the lower floors washed over their faces and with a jolt of alarm that swooped through his stomach, Joe recognised one of the figures as one of the two men that William had been playing against earlier. Whatever their business in the area did not bode well, and the sickening feeling increased. William was still out there somewhere, and with these men also on the streets, most likely out for revenge, he could be in danger.

Not sure what exactly a small skinny person such as himself could do to be of help, but determined to so _something_, Joe dashed down the stairs, slipping silently past the men, catching snatches of their conversation as he clung to the shadows.

"_This is ridiculous…"_

"…_Jean-Francois has no idea…"_

"…_never find him…"_

"_Like a rat's maze…wandering forever."_

Joe wondered just what was going on. Jean-François was a well known name on these streets; he was a gang-lord, controlling several businesses and many people, controlling things from afar like a spider in the middle of its web. If indeed William's nightly cheating had landed him on the wrong side of this man…

Shaking his head, he questioned if William even knew about this man. Sure the older boy was nice and all, and had been a great help, but he seemed rather… oblivious at times.

He sneaked past the men, still hugging the wall so as to remain hidden. He'd only gone a little further, only a few streets away from home when he heard a callous voice speak up, echoing down the narrow alleyway, distorted by the distance.

"_Not so tough now, are you boy?"_

Joe sped up, caring little that his boots were thudding against the cobbles, creating far too much noise for him to remain inconspicuous. He saw the familiar figure of his roommate slouched uncomfortably on his side and ran across the intervening space with little thought for the man that had done this, tears already forming in his eyes as he skidded to a halt next to William and fell to his knees. _"Oh God, William! There's so much blood!"_

He could only cry more when William looked up at him and offered a weak grin, obviously in pain but trying to reassure the boy all the same. Joe turned and glared at the man who had done this, but to his surprise he had bigger things to worry about.

0o0o0o0o0

It hadn't taken Kanda long to half-carry, half-drag Allen back to his room, following the youngest of the trio as Joe led the way through the maze-like alleyways.

After finally negotiating the stairs, Allen was deposited on the bed, a little roughly considering his condition, by a now thoroughly pissed off Kanda Yuu.

He turned to the boy who was hovering just inside the doorway a little uncertainly. "Make yourself useful and start a fire, we need hot water."

"_Pardon?"_ the boy blinked in response. _"I don't understand English."_

Kanda rolled his eyes. "I don't fucking speak French, idiot. Just light a Goddamn fire, damn brat!" he gestured towards the fireplace, glad that the boy finally understood what he wanted.

While Joe busied himself with the fire, Kanda turned his attention to Allen, who was regarding him rather hazily from where he'd been dumped, his eyes glazed and unfocused. Kanda didn't know quite what to make of this youth with dark hair and brown eyes that looked at him with an expression he was used to seeing on someone a lot paler. "Stupid idiot" he said, crossing his arms and staring down at the pathetic sight on the bed.

Allen blinked slowly as though it was taking a while for the words to process. Once they had, he attempted a frown that was a little lopsided and only half formed. He wet his lips slowly, before speaking in a cracked hoarse whisper. "What are you doing here?"

Wordlessly Kanda pulled the innocence cube from his pocket, turning it over in his hands, before tucking it back out of sight.

Allen laughed roughly. "Just my luck they'd send you." He closed his eyes and shivered, wrapping his arms around himself and drawing his legs closer to his chest, his right hand still clamped over the wound on his back.

It appeared that Joe had more common sense than Kanda had given him credit for, because a few minutes later the exorcist was presented with a small bowl of steaming hot water with a cloth draped over the edge. Joe scuttled back as soon as he'd given Kanda the water, watching him closely.

Feeling slightly perturbed by the blatant observation, Kanda silently took the water and began bullying Allen out of his shirt. Allen however, was feeling rather cold at the moment, and therefore had no desire to relinquish his clothing to anyone, no matter how insistent they were being.

Inevitably, Allen eventually got tired of fighting and Kanda got fed up of playing tug of war with the sprout, and there was a sound of tearing material and the now useless shirt was flung aside in several pieces.

Allen's dark eyes glared at the other man who stood over him smugly before sighing in defeat and rolling onto his stomach to give Kanda a better view of the injury.

Kanda wrung out the cloth and peeled away the glove that had stuck to Allen's skin with drying blood, and scrubbed over the wound that was still bleeding sluggishly, although it was no where near as bad as Kanda had first thought. He was also quite capable of ignoring the winces of pain and the almost silent noises that the rough treatment was drawing out of the younger boy.

Joe sat down next to the bed, an expression of amused confusion on his face, watching as Kanda finished cleaning the wound. Although he could not understand the words, he could tell that they knew each other quite well, and thus was not too worried about the fact that the elder was not being particularly gentle.

"I've had worse paper-cuts" Kanda announced, pulling Allen upright and handing him a gauze pad that he'd extracted from his pocket as he wrapped a bandage around Allen's body almost absently.

Allen snorted a laugh, felling much better than he had only minutes before. Putting this down to the fact that he had stopped bleeding and telling himself that it had nothing to do with the man currently leaning close enough to his body that he could feel his body heat and smell whatever Kanda used to wash his hair (and damn, he should ask for tips, because now he was up close, Allen could see how well looked after it was, despite the fact that it was longer than his own). He spared Joe a reassuring smile. _"It's just a scratch."_

"_I was so worried"_ Joe whispered, shuffling with embarrassment. _"I thought you were going to die! I'm so glad you're okay."_ His eyes flicked to Kanda who had finally sat back and was once again wringing out the washcloth, apparently completely ignoring everyone. _"Who's he?"_

"_An old friend"_ Allen said after a moment of wondering whether friendship was the correct term for his and Kanda's relationship. Before he could say anything else however, a firm grip on his chin forced him to turn back to face Kanda who then proceeded to attack Allen's face with the damp cloth. "Hey!" he protested as Kanda scrubbed over the left side of his face with a little more force than simply wiping the skin required.

_He's very rude" _Joe commented lightly as he watched the exchange.

"_Very"_ Allen agreed with a wry laugh.

Kanda eventually put the cloth aside and studied Allen's face critically. For some reason, looking at Allen who didn't look like himself unsettled him, and he felt much better now that he'd uncovered the curse mark again.

Allen saw Joe staring at his face and automatically lifted his hand to touch his left cheek, forgetting in that moment that he was half-naked- exposing his innocence arm, which Joe had only seen from the wrist down, and his scarred torso at the same time.

For some reason the French teen started blushing slightly and averted his eyes when Allen caught his gaze, which Allen found extremely strange. _"It's just an old scar, I like to keep it covered"_ Allen said with a small smile. _"It's hard to blend in like this" _he added, knowing that of all the explanations he could give for hiding the mark, the young thief would appreciate the need to remain inconspicuous the most.

"Who's the brat?" Kanda asked, reminding them that he was still there.

"This is Joe, I saved him from some Akuma and he fed me" Allen said.

Kanda rolled his eyes. "You took in a street orphan because he _fed_ you?"

Allen scowled, sensing that somewhere in all this Kanda was going to lecture him about being stupid and naïve.

"Are you stupid? Seriously, how naïve can you get?" Ah, there it was, lecture time. "He could have killed you in your sleep!"

"Your concern has been noted" joked Allen lightly, which shut Kanda up immediately.

"_Joe, this is Kanda, by the way"_ he said, remembering to finish the introductions. _Don't worry about him, he's alright really."_

"_It's such a shame- he's really pretty, but he has a foul temper, doesn't he?" _Joe said, cocking his head to one side. _"When I first saw him, I almost thought he was a girl."_

Allen choked, turning bright red as he tried not to laugh.

Kanda, who could tell that they'd been talking about him, and probably weren't saying anything nice, slowly drew Mugen from its sheath, making sure the other two heard the rasping of metal on metal that promised pain if they continued to mock him.

Allen held up his hands defensively, wincing as the motion pulled at the wound. "I was just telling Joe who you were" he explained, hoping it would be enough to placate the irate man. Mugen slid home with a whispery hiss and Allen relaxed, he really didn't want another injury to deal with.

"So, why are you still here?" he asked Kanda, who had retreated a few feet and was sitting on the floor. Kanda's gaze flicked to Joe for a moment, eyes flashing suspiciously.

"He doesn't speak English Kanda" Allen sighed, but when Kanda stubbornly remained silent, closing his eyes and sitting up straighter as though trying to show that he would not be swayed, he turned to Joe with an apologetic expression. _"I'm starving, and I don't think we've got enough in for the three of us. Can you go out? You can use the cash from last night or your own brand of currency."_

Joe nodded, glancing out through the window he'd left open the night before at the sky, turning grey with pre-dawn light. He'd have no trouble getting food at this time. He dove under the bed and emerged with one of the smaller money bags. _"Won't be long" _he said with a wave. Allen responded in kind, though the motion hurt his side and he had to quickly lower his arm. _"No rush, though"_ he told the boy as Joe slipped through the door. The next instant Allen was on the floor next to Kanda. "So, what's been going on?"

Kanda opened an eye and glared at him, taking in his shivering body covered in goose bumps and eyelids that threatened to close at any moment.

"Che, stupid bean sprout. Get back to bed before you pass out again."

"I do that a lot, huh" Allen said with a dark tinged smile.

"Yes," Kanda agreed simply. "Now back to bed before I force you there myself."

There was silence for a moment as they both seemed to realise how Kanda's sentence could be interpreted, looking at each other as they wondered what was going through the other's head at that point. Then they both glanced away at the same time and the moment was gone. Allen stood and collected a clean shirt, slipping it on and sitting back down on the bed obediently. "So?"

At first he thought that Kanda wasn't going to say anything, but after a couple of minutes where they sat in silence- certainly not a comfortable one, though it was by no means awkward either, Kanda shifted a little and sighed almost inaudibly.

"I don't think anyone at the order truly believes that you ran away without good cause, but the inspector's keeping quiet about the real reason."

"That's hardly surprising" Allen said thoughtfully, though internally he was marvelling at the fact that this was quite possibly the longest conversation they'd had that didn't involve throwing insults. He must have been making faces, because Kanda happened to glance at him and frown. "What?" the older man growled irritably.

Allen smiled, the first true one in a long time. "I was just thinking that you can be nice when you want to be- it's strange actually talking to you instead of arguing."

"Che" Kanda grumbled, crossing his arms. "You're just being less annoying than usual."

"Hey!" Allen complained. "I'm no-" and here he stopped, recognising that their 'nice' conversation was about to degenerate into a childish 'am not/are too' type of argument.

However, the fact that he had cut himself off did not go unnoticed. "See?" Kanda said with a smirk. "Less annoying."

Allen grit his teeth, tempted to punch Kanda in the face and be done with it, but he managed to curb that particular urge. For now. "As I was saying, it's not surprising that Link's withholding information from the exorcists- they could face a mutiny if word got out."

Kanda made a noise that could have been agreement, though he said: "It's not Link, it's Leverrier."

"Doesn't that come down to the same thing?" Allen asked in confusion.

"Che" Kanda scoffed, and gestured to the golem that was fluttering anxiously around Allen's head like a satellite. Timcampy had been hidden away inside Allen's bag since Allen had first moved in with Nelly, and hadn't been allowed out since. A golden golem, after all, was a sure-fire way of identifying Allen for who, and what, he was.

"Didn't you wonder why this thing was with you?" Kanda asked scornfully.

"Komui said he'd found Tim in his office after a meeting with Link. I thought-"

"Che" Kanda said again. It was hard to tell, but it seemed like he was enjoying proving how much of an idiot Allen was. "The inspector let it go on purpose; he's the one that's really behind your escape."

Allen gaped at him stupidly. "L…Link was? I don't understand."

"You wouldn't." It appeared that Kanda wasn't going to say anything else on the matter, whether to just annoy Allen or because he didn't know anything more Allen wasn't sure, (he hoped it was the latter- he rather liked this side of Kanda), so he decided to change the subject.

"So, if you'd already collected the innocence from the Eiffel Tower, what were you doing in the alleys?" he asked, honestly curious, but if he had hoped to embarrass Kanda in any way, he was disappointed; as the man's facial expression didn't change one iota, though his answer did manage to stun Allen into silence. "Looking for you" Kanda replied simply and Allen floundered for a minute, not having expected such an answer.

"Uh- why?" he asked when he'd recovered from the shock.

"Damned if I know" Kanda muttered, uncrossing his legs and getting his feet. "Marie recognised you" he said abruptly, running a hand over his ponytail distractedly. Then he suddenly changed tack. "The damn Usagi was worried about you."

"I see" Allen said slowly. "Lavi was worried about me."

Kanda glared at him suspiciously, but couldn't read Allen's bland expression to tell whether he was being made fun of. He suddenly wished he hadn't said anything, sensing that Allen saw through his feeble excuses as easily as he had always seen through Allen's own.

A silence fell over the duo, neither knowing quite what to say.

Allen lay down with a small whimper of fatigue and pain, his eyelids drooping as soon as his head hit the pillow. He was paying for putting off the rest his body needed to heal. The injury may not have been too serious, but he would still need to take it easy for a couple of days.

"Go to sleep" Kanda ordered unnecessarily, since Allen was more than halfway there already.

"Mm" Allen replied agreeably with a restrained yawn.

Kanda came to stand at the bedside, looking down at Allen with an odd expression on his face. He couldn't quite understand _why_ he was here. Although he had always threatened leave team-mates behind on missions, he knew he wouldn't have done really, though technically Allen was no longer a team-mate, but this… this was completely different. This felt almost as though he actually _cared_, which of course was utterly preposterous.

'_And if you see the sprout, don't forget to tell him that you love him!'_

Oh, hell no.

Kanda glanced back down at the now sleeping ex-exorcist, a sharp frown creasing his forehead. Lavi was an idiot, it was best to ignore everything that came out of his overly large mouth.

0o0o0o0o0

Joe was careful to be quiet when he returned, knowing that William was bound to be asleep and unsure what the new man… Kanda, was it? would do if he was woken up. He slipped silently into the room, a skill his lifestyle had demanded he learn, and placed the groceries to one side before turning to the other occupants of the room.

As he suspected William was asleep, and so was his friend. Joe wondered about the new man for a moment. William had introduced him as a friend, but there seemed something more to it than that… an understanding of each other that went deeper than just friendship.

Of course, walking back in and finding the older man sitting at the bedside, sword clutched between crossed arms and head resting on William's hand where it draped off the side of the bed was an indication of trust between the two- he knew that William hadn't slept in his presence for a few days when they first moved in together, before tiredness had won out over caution.

He had noticed that Kanda hadn't once called William 'William'. He might not have understood what was being said, but he could recognise a name well enough amid the jumble of English, and Kanda had definitely called William 'Allen' when they had met in the alley. Though after that, neither name had been mentioned at all.

It was all very confusing.

Double checking that both men were asleep, Joe turned his attention to his clothing. He hadn't noticed in the dark, but there were a couple of patches of blood marking the material of his shirt. Another furtive glance later, and he had undone the buttons and cast the shirt aside, immediately turning to fetch a clean one and put the dirty one somewhere to wash. When his eyes lifted from the shirt he was about to put on, they met a pair of incredulous dark ones framed with black hair.

"What the hell?" Kanda said loudly, face blank of any expression, which was his version of shock.

"Wussgoinon?" Allen said, sitting up with a jerk that stretched the wound and made him wince.

"Why don't you ask your little boyfriend over there" Kanda pointed at Joe accusatorily.

Joe flinched and clutched the shirt closer, but the damage had already been done.

"Or should I say, your little girlfriend?"


	12. Chapter 12

MitarashiiDango- I'm sorry you had to wait so long! Yeah, Joe's a girl… which is strange from me, my more permanent OCs are usually male. And what would life be without denial?

Ms Arano- well, a Josephine, actually, but close enough!

InfinityOnTheRun- Yeah, fluff. The cute just jumped out and mugged me. And yay for complications! Who wants a simple life?

CatherineIshida- Not many people did! I'm glad you're aboard! And even more glad to actually hear from you.

xxSnowxxAngelxx- Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying this fic! It always makes me happy to hear from people!

knux33- Yes indeed, I didn't think a girl living alone in the slums of 19th century Paris was the best idea!

Tarshil- I'm so happy to hear you say that! Personally my thoughts follow the same lines as yours, but I try not to antagonise the reviewers by bashing their opinions (though if you wish to do so in my stead, I will weep tears of joy). I absolutely HATE uber-uke Allen who faints all over the place and cries all the time and is essentially useless. He is supposed to be the hero after all, but as you say, even the best of us need someone to lean on from time to time (and if people think Allen's not coping well now, give it a few chapters!)  
You seem like a very remarkable person- your _first_ knife fight? LOL, and I thought I led an exciting life!  
Personally I love long and interesting reviews! Especially ones that make me really think about my reply, so thank you, and don't feel like you should cut down on what you want to say! I humbly accept a cyber-slap over my head, consider myself suitably chastised and will never apologise for myself again, I promise!!  
Anyway, I'm really glad that you liked this chapter, that you like Joe, and that I made you laugh. I like making people laugh, and find that slipping little nuggets of humour in there works better than attempting to swamp the place with giggles and grins.  
And as you can see, I don't think there's anything wrong with having a lot to say!!

Myaeve- Well, Joe was always going to be a she, whatever else happened. My little sister demanded it, and I always aim to please (especially when one's little sister is also one's beta reader- you do NOT want to piss her off). LOL, unfortunately I don't think this chapter qualifies as epic- or maybe that's fortunate for you- your eyeballs are safe for now at least!

AnimeFreak4261- I thought it was about time SOME Yullen made an appearance, even if it was short and sweet and you had to squint to see it!

edenforest1- Wow, you knew Joe was going to turn out to be a girl? I know I put a few clues in there (I love testing people to see if they're really paying attention), but you should really do a psychic proficiency test or something, cos that's just creepy! SeikaDragon- Yeah I definitely think Joe being openly female is going to cause a few issues here- after all, Kanda doesn't know that Allen lives on the other side of the rainbow, it'd be natural to assume that the girl was a bigger threat than the boy would have been, no? AlcoholicTree- ha ha ha! SURPRISE! Joe is actually Josephine. Whatever shall happen now? (OMG, I actually don't know….)

a1y-puff- Yeah, I needed a bit of fluff to get me through the chapter. I've slowly lost the will to live lately and I definitely need something to keep me going!

addenza- Yep, Joe's a girl. Nothing like a bit of WTF? to wake people up is there? And I'm sure her presence isn't going to help things between Kanda and Allen (unless she's secretly a yaoi fangirl?)

marufu-chan- thank you very much! Sorry it took so long to come out!

CrimsonKitsune333- I really need those cookies now- I've had a crappy couple of weeks, which is now reflected in a crappy chapter. But I will persevere- hopefully the woeful inadequacy of this chapter is but a minor blip in the grand scale of things!

WrathofMugen- Yep! I did slip a few clues in there, but I was obviously a little too covert about it!

Shinimegami7- Yeah, it's a really slow progression- it's making me crazy, but I thought that just randomly jumping in bed together was a little too OOC!

dragonheart3- *Does a little happy dance* Yay! Your review really made my day! I'm glad you have such a good opinion of my story. Even though I'm just writing for fun it's nice to know that other people like it too! And who knows, if this whole teacher shin-dig thing falls through, I might just go into writing!

xForeverXforgottenx- Allen will get his white hair back one day- after all, he misses it too! I'm pleased that you like the fic, knowing that makes me happy! And I'm sure your wish for drama will be fulfilled soon!

Kawaii no jutsu- well, that IS what makes it a twist! Yah, denial- where would we be without it? Well, I'd be down one literary device anyway! You think this is brilliant? YAY!

MiniBloodyMurder- Yeah, I know- shock horror!

zerokanda- I confess myself confused- you'd rather the OC be a boy than a girl in a yaoi fic?

SingingBlues- I thought that might give a few people a shock, though I'm surprise as many people were surprised by it. Maybe my clues were just too subtle…

eMi to mAo 374- Sorry to have kept you waiting so long! I know it was a bit of a nasty place to leave it, but at least Allen and Kanda are together once again!

XTincampi- I'm really pleased that you're enjoying the story. And yes, shocker- Joe is Josephine!

Doveylove- Since you asked so nicely, have an update on me!

Kayday- You were supposed to think that Joe was all gay for Allen! At least I know that my plan worked! I went through a few names before Joe was thrust upon me by my little sister, who demanded an OC named Joe King (her humour is worse than mine, I swear) be created. Thus Josephine King was born and I too head-desked in shame at the fact that I'd done such a thing. However, since the canon had one "Cloud Nine" I figure I'm safe from too harsh a beating!

XxMissyRandomxX- Yeah, unfortunately, Joe is kinda flat-chested, poor dear, but she also has them bound flat (which I discovered for myself is not at all comfy- though fortunately for Joe, there's a huge difference between squishing her little fried eggs down and what I had to do!) And Joe's shirt was loose and baggy which hid her figure until Kanda got an eyeful of her topless! Though she gave her age as thirteen (and a half) she's actually sixteen and gave a younger age to help with her disguise (since she couldn't really pretend to be a boy of her own age with her high girly voice and short stature- oh wait- Allen is… dammit!)

Gin no Hitomi- Ah, cliché. What would life be without it? Yes, yes, enter the big bad… baddies (?) soon.

Wing012- I have the next chapter here just for you! *cough cough* I'm glad you find Decline interesting, I was worried that since I dropped off the face of the earth my fic had descended into obscurity!

Harmony283- Actually, if you laughed randomly throughout the fic, t means you have the same type of humour as me, as I like to slip little random bits of things that make me smile in there, whether anybody else finds them funny or not! I know there are a few mistakes in here, but my typing skills resemble a possessed spider at times. Luckily though, I'm rechecking everything and hopefully caught them all, and I will be replacing the chapters soon. I'm glad you don't think this is to OOC at the moment. It's hard to do such a pairing without changing some aspects of the characters, if only to make the whole process easier! I hope your exam went well BTW!

Nimadel- I'm glad you like my fic, and yes, it will be continuing, eventually.

lokiwolf14- I'm so pleased you're enjoying the fic. Here is a long awaited update!

Saltyeyes- Thank you very much!

Xenophili- Geez, you get ill for a few weeks and people start threatening to abandon ship! I haven't given up, I'm not going to give up, but in all honesty, my health is more important than my hobby. And soon you'll hate me even more, cos after chapter 13, it'll be a cliffie of doom until after Christmas. Mwahahaha!

Alisa makora- Lol, Yep, Joking. Sometimes I can't help myself! I'm glad you like the story.

* * *

Thanks to everyone who had reviewed, it really made me push through with these updates even though all I wanted to do was curl up and die lately, so thank you very, very much for sticking with it! XX

* * *

Yeah, it's very, VERY late. I do have an excuse though, since I was in hospital. My body hates me, I swear. So I'm sorry, but not too sorry since there wasn't a lot I could do with a drip in my right arm that squealed noisily if I bend my elbow- typing and writing? Whoosh, out of the window. And news- I, hater of beta's, have got one. LE GASP! Though to be fair, it's my sister, so if she says something I don't like, I can ignore her. Or hit her, whichever. So I guess thanks to Bexii-face for beta-ing and stuff. I blame you for my mistakes from now on.

And not to bore you all, though I'm sure no one is actually reading this, I will take this opportunity to thank you all for sticking with me, but Decline is going on holiday. Real life has really hit hard lately. I've been forced to quit university after four years of struggling through because of my health and to be honest, writing anything has been bottom of my list lately. I've also got to pick up more slack at home while searching for a job in order to pay my way, so free time has been reduced to insignificant quantities. I doubt that there will be any updates until after Christmas, but by the new year I will be hopefully back on track in all aspects of my life. Thanks for your understanding.

0o0o0o0o0

"_You… you're a girl?"_ Allen exclaimed into the stunned silence.

"_No"_ said Joe, covering his… her, chest with the shirt she was still holding, eyes darting around as though looking for an escape route.

"Che" Kanda sniffed, getting to his feet and crossing the intervening space between them and yanking the shirt away. Immediately Joe's hands came up across her chest, but without the loose shirt hiding her figure, even with her breasts bound against her body, the fact that she was very much female was obvious.

Allen swung his legs over the side of the bed and openly gawked. Well, he supposed that explained why Joe had never dressed in front of him, and the rather girly scream he'd heard when they first met. _"Why?"_ he asked, confused and curious.

Kanda turned to Allen and said: "I can't believe you didn't notice! You've been living with the kid and never realised that he had…" he gestured at his own chest "you know?"

"It's not my fault!" Allen snapped back, standing up and putting his hands on his hips. "You thought she was a boy too!"

"Of course I did, I just took your word for it!"

"It's not like I go around groping everyone I meet to make sure they're not cross-dressing!" Allen turned back to the girl, suddenly feeling awkward despite the fact that he'd known her for more than a week, even lived with her, and found that now just talking to her seemed different. _"So, Joe… are you really called Joe?"_

The girl smiled nervously. _"Josephine, actually, but Jo's good too."_

"_Why are you dressed as a boy?"_

"_I'm a sixteen year old orphan girl living in one of the roughest areas of Paris. Why do you think?"_ Jo said shortly, standing straighter as her embarrassment faded. _"And tell your friend that I want my shirt back!"_

"Kanda, can you give… um… her… back her shirt?" he asked, turning to the older man. Kanda scowled and threw the shirt in the general direction of the girl without even looking to see where it landed.

"_Thank you" _Jo said sarcastically, picking up the shirt from where it had fallen at her feet and pulling it over her head. The awkward feeling in the room lessened slightly once her body was hidden again.

"_You're sixteen?" _Allen asked suddenly. _"When we met you said you were thirteen."_

"_And a half"_ added Jo. _"I could hardly dress as a boy and stay my own age, could I? How many male sixteen year olds do you know as short as me with voices as high as mine?"_

It was a shame that Kanda couldn't follow the conversation, because Allen felt vindicated by this statement, being sixteen himself and taller, broader and deeper of voice than the girl. 'Ha! See! I'm going through puberty just fine, thank you very much!' he thought smugly, glancing at Kanda briefly as he did so, despite knowing the man hadn't understood a word.

Strangely though, Kanda was wearing a smirk as though he knew exactly what was running through Allen's head at that moment. Shaking off the uneasy feeling that somehow Kanda could read his mind, he turned his attention back to the girl.

"_Good point"_ he conceded. _"No wonder you were so keen to move away from that brothel next door."_

"_Hmm" _Jo agreed. _"Though I would have had to move on soon anyway- you can't pretend to be one age and not expect people to notice that you don't get any older, so I can't ever stay in one pace too long." _She sat in the single rickety chair. _So, now you know the truth about me, are you going to come clean too? Your name isn't really William, is it? Who are you really? Is this guy like you? Does he have something like your arm?"_

Allen sighed and glanced once at Kanda before passing a hand over his face wearily. He dropped it back into his lap as he began. _"My name is Allen Walker…"_

Kanda decided that in a past life he had been very, very bad, and that being stuck in the small stuffy room with these two idiots who were gabbling away in French and now completely ignoring him was his punishment for his sins. When he could stand it no longer, he moved abruptly and headed for the door, barely having moved three strides before Allen's voice halted him.

"Kanda, where are you going? Is everything alright?"

Kanda ignored him and continued to the door, his hand barely closing around the handle before a grip on his arm pulled him up short. He turned his head slightly to see Allen watching him with a frown on his tanned face, his hand firmly grasping the material of Kanda's sleeve. "Are _you_ alright?" Allen asked instead when he got no reply, shaking Kanda's arm softly in emphasis. "Something is bothering you." It was a statement, not a question

Kanda's dark eyes flicked back over his shoulder to where Jo was standing looking a little lost, as though she thought that she was intruding on something personal but had nowhere else to go. "I have to go and call Komui" Kanda said evasively, turning the handle beneath his palm and opening the door a few inches. "Stay here."

Allen felt like arguing that Kanda had no authority over him and couldn't order him to stay anywhere, but he could see that something was troubling the older man and though he couldn't for the life of him even begin to wonder what it was that had Kanda acting so… was distant the right word? After all, Kanda had never been forthcoming with anybody (except perhaps Lavi, but everyone knew that if the redhead wanted something, then refusing only prolonged the agony, and they all gave in eventually anyway), and even if Kanda was more open about his feelings, Allen doubted he would ever be in his confidence. Still, there was something more going on that had made the exorcist withdrawn- more than usual- and though Allen might not have a clue as to what it was; he was going to make sure he found out.

He released Kanda's sleeve and allowed the other man to make his escape.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Distance, Kanda decided. That was what he needed. He'd just spent too much time in Allen's presence after weeks apart, and he just had fallen out of the habit of dealing with him. That was all. That was all. There was absolutely nothing else to it.

He exhaled a little heavier than usual, his own version of an exasperated sigh, flicking the end of his ponytail over his shoulder when what he really wanted to do was release his hair from its tie and run his hands through it roughly. Doing that had always comforted him, but he couldn't afford to admit that he _needed_ the familiar gesture and the calm it would bring.

He let his head thud back against the wall he was leaning on outside of Allen's room, needing _something_ to ground him. Kanda had no clue what was going on. When he realised his mission would give him the chance to seek out Allen, he wasted no time in collecting the innocence (which had been helpfully left for him to stumble across) so he could get down to business finding the elusive Moyashi.

Of course, Paris was a big city, and Allen was rather _small_, so Kanda knew that the chances of actually finding Allen were slim (especially since Allen was in disguise, though Kanda was positive that he'd be able to recognise him no matter how much his appearance had changed) and therefore had not put much thought into what he would actually say if he did happen to trip over Allen as he meandered randomly through the city streets.

He couldn't have been more surprised to find Allen the way he had, though he shouldn't have been- apparently no matter where he went, or who he was pretending to be, Allen Walker always managed to get himself into trouble. Of course, he also usually managed to get himself out of it somehow as well, though whether by luck or skill Kanda never really understood.

This time, well, sure the wound had been deep and had bled like a bitch but hadn't been fatal. Even if Allen had lay in that alley all night, Kanda doubted that he would have died, and he wasn't sure but he suspected that the innocence that was such an integral part of his body would not allow its accommodator to succumb to infection, and intellectually Kanda knew all of this, but something inside him, a knot that grew in his throat and a clench in his chest, came back full force as he recalled the sight of Allen curled on the ground, grasping at the neat slice in his back as though trying to hold the blood inside and biting his lower lip ragged in an attempt to master the pain.

Of course, at first the person before him had been a stranger, a nobody, an unfortunate victim of the rough city he lived in, but then he'd spotted the scars, he'd wrestled the glove from the protesting left hand and he'd felt his heart stop beating for a second as he realised just who this blood splattered person was.

Later, he would firmly deny, even to himself, _especially_ to himself, that any such thing had happened.

He slipped his hand into his pocket, his fingers closing around the innocence cube. Really he should be heading back to headquarters- his mission was complete after all, so why was he still here? There was nothing left for him to do in Paris, he'd done what he came here to do and should be on his way to his next mission by now. He frowned. Since when had missions taken a backseat to everything else that was going on?

Being around the Moyashi and his ridiculous cross-dressing sidekick was infecting him with stupidity. All the more reason to get the hell out of there before he did something he'd regret.

Coming to a decision, and feeling all the better for it, he turned away from the wall and swept down the stairs, his exorcist coat flapping behind him.

0o0o0o0o0

He finally managed to find a phone box that wasn't vandalised beyond use and dug his golem from his pocket and connecting the two communications devices. There was a faint hissing of static as the line cleared and then his ears were assaulted by the sound of whatever chaos that was happening in Komui's office. It appeared that the phone had been knocked off the hook in the mayhem, as he could hear indistinct yelling which he guessed were the overworked scientists shouting at Komui and some squealing which was definitely the supervisor. He hoped that whatever the science department was doing to Komui _hurt_, because whatever Komui had done was bound to have an effect on every member of the Order.

He was considering smashing the golem against the wall of the phone booth when he heard a voice cut through the screaming.

"Hey look- there's a call!"

'_Finally'_ Kanda thought as he listened to the sound of someone scrambling for the phone.

"Hello?" Reever's voice asked, almost cautiously.

"Che, about time you morons answered."

"Kanda," Reever breathed a sigh of relief. "Is everything OK with your mission? I would have thought you'd have been back here by now."

"I need to speak to the idiot supervisor."

Back in Komui's office, Reever looked at the supervisor who was currently tied to his chair and gagged. "He's a little indisposed" explained the section chief to the exorcist. "Is it important?"

Kanda almost scoffed. Why else would he be calling? It wasn't like he made social calls. "Yes, I need to speak to him. Privately. I've… run into something which has delayed my mission and I need further orders."

Reever sighed. "Very well." There was the muffled sound of Komui being released but before the supervisor could begin his rant on his 'unfair' treatment at the hands of his scientists, Reever thrust the phone into his face. "It's Kanda" he told the Chinese man curtly before leaving the office, ushering the few lingering scientists before him.

"Kanda?" Komui said into the phone, all of a sudden his jovial tone gone. "How is your mission going? Have you not found the innocence yet?"

Kanda shook his head, although Komui could not see him. "I have the innocence" he said, his fingers gripping the cube in his pocket.

"So…" the supervisor prompted, absently toying with the fragments of his pink mug that had been the cause of the earlier chaos.

"I met him."

"Met… him? Oh!" Komui looked around his office as though making sure he was alone. Not that he would be able to tell with a cursory glance- there were several mountains of unfinished paperwork to hide behind. "Well that was lucky. How's he doing?"

"Che" Kanda sniffed. "Trying to get himself killed, just like I said he would."

"What did you do to him?" Komui exclaimed

"Not me you idiot" Kanda snapped. "First he took in a stray street boy, then started a bar fight, ended up getting stabbed and his boy is actually a girl."

"Riiiiight" Komui said. That was probably the longest sentence he'd ever heard the Japanese exorcist say, and he hadn't understood any of it. "He got stabbed in a bar fight and is now a girl?"

Kanda glared at the phone with such venom that back in his office Komui actually flinched. "Never mind" the supervisor said hurriedly. "So, what can I do for you?"

Kanda scowled, rubbing his forehead with his free hand. "I don't trust the boy… girl… whatever," he said, trying to think of a way to phrase his request without it actually sounding like he was making one. Handing Komui material to blackmail him with didn't seem like a good idea.

Fortunately, Komui was way ahead of him. "I see. Well, luckily for you there's been reports of Akuma attacking Beauvais. It's a town about fifty miles north from Paris. I'm assigning it to you to look into," he said, sounding very official, an image that he ruined by adding with an obvious grin in his voice, "take him with you. It'll be just like old times, and he's owed a few meals on the Order's dime."

Kanda grunted, which could have been a yes or no, but Komui took as the former. "Just be careful and try not to get spotted. It's getting somewhat uncomfortable here- Link's fielding as well as he can, but Leverrier's breathing rather closely down our necks. They're trying to find out what exactly happened that night, and my answers aren't satisfying them any more." He paused, thinking carefully. "If you are agreeable, perhaps you should stay away from Headquarters for a while- your name has come up a few times for questioning, but now we've lost Allen I don't think anyone will think too much about you being out in the field so much."

"Fine" Kanda said, trying not to reveal how much Komui's plan appealed to him.

"Alright then. Keep in contact, and keep each other safe."


	13. Chapter 13

eMi to mAo 374- It's been an interesting few weeks, not only did I FIND a job… it was just for Christmas and so now I am yet again unemployed! Let's hope there's not such a delay in-between this chapter and the next, eh?

Gin no Hitomi- Well, since you asked so nicely, here is the first chapter with a hint of Noah! Lol, no action yet… Soon, though, I promise!

XxMissyRandomxX- Thanks for your support, knowing that people are still behind me makes this crap easier to get on with! Hopefully the fact that I am back and updating will make up for the long wait!

marufu-chan- Thanks for reviewing. I'm glad that people are so understanding. I know that being in hospital so much is a little beyond my control, but it still makes me feel bad!

Arid Tundra- Give Jo a chance! She's only been a she for one chapter! (well, actually she's been a she all her life, but you know what I mean) The reason why I did this will (eventually) become clear, but for now, just trust me! I personally only use OCs as a means to get canon characters into situations that they would not normally get themselves into, so if there is an OC that sticks around for a while (I tend to kill the ones that have served their purpose off pretty quick), they are integral to the plot somewhere along the line.

Shinimegami7- Thanks. Real life sucks sometimes, doesn't it?

knux33- Lol, cross-dressing sidekick. Unfortunately for Jo fans, she's being left behind for a while. After all, she'd only get in the way of our boys, wouldn't she?

CrimsonKitsune333- Oceans on steroids? Lol. I'm so glad that you enjoy this fic, even if I am the crappiest author on the face of the planet when it comes to regular updates!

Minato Shiki- Dense? Definitely, though being male, I suppose that they have an excuse! And asking whether I've dropped off the face of the planet or not is not bothering me, in fact, the very fact that you noticed the distinct lack of updates makes me feel tons better.

MysteriousEyez- wow, four chapters behind? I didn't think I updated enough for that to happen! And Jo will have her chance to prove herself, in time.

Kawamoyashi- Thanks for reviewing!

Harmony283- I did consider an awful cliffy, but I decided not to be too mean! And so, here you are, another excuse to procrastinate!

SeikaDragon- Kanda, jealous? Perish the thought! (laughs evilly) I love Komui, I don't think he ever gets enough attention!

Myaeve- Here you are, you can stop twiddling your thumbs now, I've FINALLY updated! Wow… computer hugging… and I thought I was the only one who ever did that. I have three younger siblings… you want one to abuse?

Kayday- Mmm, chocolate… though as a wise friend once told me, if life hands you lemons, write smut.

MiniBloodyMurder- And another one, just to make you happy!

a1y-puff- OMG she's updated again! I bet loads of people thought I'd fallen of the planet or something. I finally got onto the internet for the first time in nearly a month this week, and so finally picked up the e-card. So yay, thank you! (and Beta-Bexi-Face says more art would be welcomed with open arms and a big grin.)

xTincampi- Does this count as upating soon? Probably not, but it's the fact that I've done it now that counts, right? Right?

AnimeFreak4261- If you liked the Yullen titbits in the last chapter, you're going to go crazy-face for this one, lol. And that thing you're hopeful for, yeah, it's coming. It's coming soon…

sweetkakes35- This is going somewhere? Why did no one tell me?! And Joe's name was author's license… I know if I had to change my name to one of the opposite sex, I'd be REALLY confused if it wasn't remotely similar and Joe/Jo was handy… plus my awful beta's demand that Jo King made it into the story… despite 'King' not being the least bit French! (Beta-Bexi says: I resent that, Jo King was not my fault!)

DeathsDragon- I'm glad you like the story, but as for updates, I can only write as fast as real life lets me. I don't have a lot of free time and writing is my hobby, something I do to chill out, not something to add more stress as I try and meet deadlines, that, in the grand scheme of things, are not the be-all and end-all. And Kanda discussing hair care? I'm not ruling it out!

Melodicxstar- I haven't decided exactly what Komui did to deserve that, but it had something to do with his bunny mug. Maybe at some point I'll add a one-shot of which I have three relating to various other fics that I've been meaning to do for so long it's no longer worth doing, so I wouldn't hold your breath! Thanks for your comments. I do tend to be a bit anal about my grammar, and though I do make the odd mistake, it's something I take very seriously as I find not only does bad grammar disrupt the flow of a story, it just makes the damn thing hard to read, so I try my best! Lol, rebellious phase… one that's lasted eight years and counting… I'll die of old age before it decides to grow up and behave at this rate!

ArleneLee- I'm really glad you like this fic so much! Thanks for the review!

Sora pwns x3- I'm sorry that you think my proof-reading has been a little slack- unfortunately, I find that my mind tends to ignore these little details since I know what it's supposed to say, and I just fail to spot them. Hopefully with a beta in my employ (I'm paying her in Lucky fics) this will improve and it'll stop annoying you so much. I would prefer not to use bold to highlight text, but since I already use italics to indicate thought, I needed something that stood out. I previously tried different speech marks, but some people were failing to spot the difference between single and double, so I had to resort to desperate measures. So, with the rebuttal out of the way… on we go… Thanks for reviewing, I'm glad you like the fic so far, and I really appreciate your comments!

AlcoholicTree- I try not to get stressed- got to look this body after all- it's got to last me a while longer yet!

Silver Phoenix7- Thank you so much, I'm glad you're enjoying it so far!

And thanks a bunch to anyone I've missed (my inbox was a MESS when I finally got back on the 'net) and to everyone who has favourited me or this fic.

* * *

So yeah, I've finally updated. Took me long enough, eh? So to recap… since last time I updated I got a job, I was in hospital, I came out of hospital, I worked, I went into hospital (22nd December) I came out of hospital (discharged myself Christmas eve- like hell I was spending Christmas in there), lost a job and now, updated! Yay me!

I think, for now, weekly updates will be beyond me, so I think I'll do it fortnightly, since there's a better chance of me being able to stick to it! Thank you all for your patience!

* * *

Allen sighed. Although he had been glad enough when Kanda had told him to 'come on the mission or else', the novelty had long since worn off. Around the time that the rain had started, actually.

Water dripped from his fringe into his eyes and he huffed irritably, giving his companion a sideways glance. Ever since they'd left Jo behind in Allen's room with the promise that they return shortly (at least Allen had promised, Kanda had just grunted and scowled), he had noticed something strange (well, stranger) about the older man. He had been quiet, even by Kanda-standards, a contemplative frown on his forehead as though he was deep in thought. Allen could only guess what was troubling the exorcist- and he knew full well that Kanda _was_ troubled- he'd been able to see it in every motion, every step, every glance, every _breath_ that the older man took that something was seriously bothering him, but, Kanda being Kanda, nothing Allen said or did made any difference.

He tried again, hoping to draw some kind of reaction from the older man. Even an insult would be better than this silence.

"I really hate the rain" he muttered, loud enough to carry over the sound of raindrops splashing around them. He tugged his hair woefully from where it was plastered to his face. "Seriously, I don't know how you cope with your hair all the time!" he felt, rather than saw, the amused glance towards him, but it was fleeting. He sighed, but at least he had Kanda's attention. "We're not going to find anything in this weather. I think even the Akuma are taking shelter." He reached out and grasped Kanda's arm, pulling him to a stop. "Let's go somewhere dry to wait out the storm." He gave Kanda's sleeve another tug.

"Che, fine" Kanda said shortly, but he didn't pull his arm free of Allen's grip. "This way."

Allen could feel the warmth of Kanda's arm, even through the exorcist's sleeve and his own glove, and felt a blush creep over his cheeks as he tried to look anywhere but at Kanda's face, but couldn't withhold the small noise of surprise, nor help the way he stumbled slightly when Kanda liberated his sleeve from Allen's clenched hand, only to replace it with a sword calloused palm, fingers wrapping around Allen's gloved palm without hesitation, dragging him along behind him.

Allen held his peace, despite being pulled along like a child. Thinking of it that way was somewhat humiliating, but he couldn't deny that Kanda's firm grip around his hand made the feelings that he'd been ignoring for a long time bubble back to the surface.

Ever since he'd first seen Kanda, right back when he first joined the Order, there had been _something_ about the older man, some strange, unintelligible gravity that had drawn him closer, despite Kanda's obvious dislike of him. Sure, he hadn't agreed with Kanda's views, had hated the way he treated everyone around him like lesser beings, but still, that unnameable _something_ had caused him to try and become closer to him, until one day Allen realized that when arguing, his flush was no longer purely from anger, and that the grudging respect he felt towards the more experienced exorcist was no longer grudging at all and whatever this indescribable, undeniable bubble that resided in his chest was, it grew warm and caused his heart to swell and his breath stutter whenever deep dark eyes turned on him.

He knew what this was, he understood that he was attracted to Kanda. It was understandable, after all, the man was stunning, and at first that was all he thought it was- something physical, and Kanda was a good exorcist, one of the best, so of course Allen watched him and admired him, but then the truth about the Fourteenth had come to light, and all of Allen's attention focused inwards, trying to contain the Noah's memories, trying to stop the fourteenth erasing him and to Allen, more importantly, trying to stop his friends from realizing just how close he was coming to failing.

It wasn't until it had become too much to hide that Allen realized that Kanda had never been fooled by his act, not like the others had, and he wondered whether that meant that Kanda cared more, or cared less than everyone else.

Apparently it meant he cared more, in his own brusque way, and the little bubble of _something_ that resided in Allen's chest had once more grown warm and bright and Allen realized that what he felt for Kanda was more than just respect and admiration, though that was _certainly_ part of it, and though yes, he could _definitely_ appreciate the fact that Kanda was good-looking and physically perfect in every way possible, he was no longer purely lusting over his body (though he'd be stupid to even attempt to deny that just looking at Kanda caused reactions in his own body). What he felt had sailed beyond physical attraction, leapt over the safety of a crush and settled on the stormy seas of _more._ He wasn't ready to put a name to it yet- that would acknowledge it and make it more _real _somehow, but he could at least admit that there was something there. He wondered if Kanda felt it too- sometimes their gazes met and held for a little too long, touches, though brief, still lingered longer than a purely platonic brush, but before Allen could even begin to consider what to do about it, he'd been forced to run and staying alive and staying _himself_ had taken precedence over thinking about what could have been.

But now Kanda was here, with him, holding onto his hand as though it was the most natural thing in the world.

He had to know what even such a simple touch was doing to Allen, had to, because the darkness only hid so much and the weather could not explain everything away, but if he had spotted Allen's reaction, he said nothing, instead searching out some kind of shelter.

"Here" Kanda's voice jerked him from his thoughts and Allen glanced up to see that they had arrived in front of a dilapidated church. The doors sagged on their hinges and the interior was dark and uninviting, but the roof was mostly whole and it was dry and sheltered, so they pushed inside, closing the doors behind them as much as they could.

Allen led the way down the central aisle, looking around curiously as he tugged off his gloves and shivered in the cool air. He arrived at the front, standing beside the pulpit and turned around. "We should probably light a fire…" he shrugged. "I hope God won't mind us burning some of this stuff."

Kanda looked at him like he was stupid. "I'd rather piss God off than die of hypothermia" he said, stripping off his coat and eyeing a wooden chair critically, looking between the potential kindling and his sword, a though debating whether to use Mugen for such a menial task.

Allen grinned, just about managing to tear his eyes away from Kanda's bandaged chest, and decided to help Kanda out before he decided to forego the fire just to save Mugen the dishonour of being reduced to the status of a common wood axe.

Activating his innocence, he sliced through the chairs next to the altar as though they were nothing. He ignored Kanda's look, deactivating Crown Clown and looking down at his left hand, flexing his fingers slowly. It had been a while since he last invocated, but that didn't explain the slowness of his reactions, nor the sensation of pins and needles running from fingertip to shoulder with every movement.

A hand on his arm jerked him back to reality and he looked round at Kanda wit slightly wide eyes. A crackling noise made him realise that he must have been zoning out for longer than he thought, since Kanda already had a merry fire blazing and his exorcist coat lying beside it drying out. Kanda was frowning at him and Allen realised that the other man had said something and he hadn't heard a word of it.

"Uh, sorry Kanda, I was miles away. What did you say?"

"Che, stupid idiot. I said give me your coat before you die of pneumonia or something." He didn't quite meet Allen's eyes as he spoke, as though by not doing so he could deny the fact that he was bothering to do something about Allen's bedraggled state.

"Thank you" Allen said quietly as he shrugged out of his coat, handing it to the other man. As Kanda reached out to take it, their hands brushed lightly and they both froze, letting the coat fall to the floor between them, forgotten.

Allen cleared his throat and ducked his head, hiding his blush as Kanda collected the coat from the floor, straightening quickly and turning to place it near the fire to dry off. Allen followed, sitting on the floor as close to the flames as he could in an attempt to dry off his clothes. Kanda took a seat on the opposite side and for a while no one spoke, the only noise was the crackling and snapping of the fire and the rain leaking through the holes in the ceiling.

"So…" Allen began. "How is everyone doing?"

"Che" Kanda sniffed haughtily. "The same as always. The damn Rabbit is still annoying, the idiotic supervisor is still and idiot and-" A subtle shift from the person sitting opposite made him pause in his off-hand reply. "What?" he snapped, sounding a little harsher than he meant to, but he sensed that his words had somehow upset his companion but couldn't for the life of him figure out why, and his confusion presented itself as anger.

Allen did another shuffle, pretending to be getting closer to the fire in an attempt to disguise the awkward motion. "Nothing" he said dismissively, gathering his knees to his chest and resting his chin on them, gazing into the fire intently. In the firelight the brown of his eyes reflected a soft glowing gold and Kanda stiffened slightly, his fingers twitching as he realised that his sword was just out of reach.

Allen looked up at the motion and his eyes were back to normal- plain, brown and desperately sad.

Kanda tried not to feel guilty- he never felt guilty about anything, but he regretted being so hasty with his actions. He watched Allen hug his knees tighter to his chest and wondered if there was anything he could say that would make up for his mistake. He'd never apologise, but if he could figure out what he'd said in the first place that had caused the sudden downturn in mood then perhaps whatever this nasty nagging feeling eating at him was would go away.

"No one understands what's going on" he began quietly, hesitantly. "Leverrier won't allow the truth to be spoken, so everyone in the Order has been forced to make up their own theories."

Allen said nothing, though he was watching Kanda steadily, waiting for his next words. "No one…" Kanda took a breath. "No one believes you deserted them, okay?" he snapped, crossing his arms and looking off to the left.

Allen gave a light chuckle, feeling his coat where it was stretched out beside him. Deeming it dry enough to put on, he wrapped it around himself and moved to sit on the first pew, several feet away from the fire, legs stretched out in front of him and arms spread along the back of the wooden bench, head tipped back and eyes closed.

'_He looks so tired'_ Kanda thought as he too put on his coat and sat beside him, crossing his arms over his chest, looking up at the vaulted ceiling without really seeing it.

He heard Allen shifting beside him and glanced over at his companion. Allen's eyes were half-lidded, lips parted as he gazed at the ceiling that Kanda had been staring at blankly before.

He took a moment to study the younger teen closer. Allen was only sixteen, but right now he could been ageless. It was strange to see him looking so peaceful, and the indolent pose, slightly parted lips and relaxed expression reflecting the soft glow of the dimming fire made it difficult for Kanda to tear his eyes away.

He thought back to what Lavi had said to him, back before he'd left for Paris. Over the time he'd known Allen he'd felt a lot of things toward him, but love? That was not an emotion that he knew much about. His childhood was a blur, though he supposed that the way that Tiedoll had treated him while under his tutelage could be called 'love'. But this was different, wasn't it?

Well, whatever, it didn't really matter – an exorcist didn't have time for such things.

Next to him, Allen sighed lightly, a soft smile on his face and Kanda's resolve wavered slightly. Would it really be so bad? Did the fact that they were soldiers struggling through a war they had been thrust unceremoniously into mean they didn't deserve some happiness? Both of them had their personal battles to fight, so was it such a stretch to turn to each other for support?

Kanda scoffed to himself. He didn't need support from anybody! This was all Lavi's fault, putting stupid ideas into his head. This was not the time to be having such thoughts. Right now they were on a mission, in the middle of a war. Perhaps, if they were both still alive when this was all over… he knew how unlikely that was, but if this whole fate shit had any foundation, then it would happen, right?

"It's really quiet" Allen said after a couple of minutes of comfortable silence.

Kanda raised an eyebrow. "We're in an abandoned church, Moyashi."

"Hmm" Allen agreed, brown eyes now fully open. "But I meant in here." He tapped his temple with his ungloved finger.

Kanda turned to face him fully. "You hear voices?" he asked, apparently concerned for the younger man's sanity.

Allen laughed, but the sound was bitter. "No, that would be crazy!" he said with a smile so sad that Kanda almost reached for him. In fact his hand twitched before he managed to control it.

"Just the one voice" Allen added in a whisper so low that Kanda had to strain to hear it. "All the time, talking to me, and the piano playing- always, and I can't sleep without hearing it and sometimes I remember things that I shouldn't know…" his voice was cracked and hoarse as it trailed away. Allen scrubbed his face with the heels of hands and he visibly tried to pull himself together, forcing a painful smile and planting his hands on his knees, shoulders hunched. "Sorry. You don't want to know all this. The rain's stopped, we should get going." He made to stand, but a firm grip on his wrist halted him and tugged him back into his seat. "Kanda? What?"

"Shut up Moyashi." Kanda wrapped his arms awkwardly around the slighter frame, tucking his chin over Allen's shoulder as he pulled him closer.

Allen decided not to argue. It wouldn't take much for Kanda to go from hugging to homicidal if he said the wrong thing and there was just something so… right about being clutched almost desperately to Kanda's side. With a sigh he allowed his arms to wrap around Kanda's back, clinging to the exorcist coat and turning his face into Kanda's neck.

The older man was sweaty and still a little damp from the rain, and really didn't smell all that nice, but he was warm and solid and strong and, though he didn't speak a word, Allen could hear everything that Kanda was saying. 'You're not alone' the arms around him said, 'you don't have to bear this on your own.'

Allen pressed his face further into Kanda's neck and tightened his own arms briefly around Kanda's back in a silent, but heartfelt 'thank you'.

0o0o0o0o0

Kanda glared at the far wall over Allen's shoulder feeling both extremely angry with himself yet absurdly pleased that his uncharacteristic action had not been rejected.

He felt Allen's grip on him tighten for a moment and wondered if he felt like he needed this just as much as Kanda did. He'd die before he admitted, even to himself, that he was enjoying this closeness, but the feeling of Allen's slighter frame cradled against his own felt so incredibly _right_ that he couldn't bring himself to let go just yet. As well as the fact that, with his face out of sight over Allen's shoulder, the faint blush that he was sure had taken over his features could not be seen, and therefore was easily ignored.

Allen's quiet sigh stirred the short hairs on his neck moments before the younger man pulled away, slumping on the pew like a puppet with cut strings. He didn't look up at Kanda, instead rubbing his nose in an awkward gesture of embarrassed unease.

Kanda stood wordlessly and stomped out the fire, kicking ash and sparks everywhere as he vented his frustration. Just what the hell was wrong with him? He was Kanda, he _never_ went around hugging people! And he hardly ever got hugged either- the only person who dared to do it with any regularity was Lavi, and maybe his general if the frizzy-haired man artist was feeling particularly emotional.

So what on Earth had possessed him to grab hold of the stupid Sprout like it was the most natural thing in the world?

Damn, he was thinking himself into knots, and his frustration must have shown on his face because when he turned around Allen was watching him with a bemused expression.

"What?" he snapped defensively, trying not to seem embarrassed by his actions.

Allen's confused expression changed into one of sly amusement. He didn't think he'd ever seen anything as funny as Kanda having a temper-tantrum like a five year old, even the time Lavi got his head trapped between the bars of a fence couldn't compare to the sight of Kanda stomping over the fire like it had wronged him somehow. He snorted a little laugh that he quickly tried to smother when Kanda snapped at him, a flush of anger and embarrassment spreading over his pale features.

"Nothing" he said blandly, just about managing to get his facial expression under control as Kanda stepped closer, glowering down at the slightly smaller teen as though daring Allen to say something about his uncharacteristic childish display.

Allen met Kanda's eyes but instead of thoughts as to whether he should start running for his life, his mind went completely blank, and for the life of him he couldn't look away. He swallowed reflexively and almost took a step backwards, but a strong hand caught him around his elbow, holding him in place.

"Kanda…I…"

the hand on his arm twitched and he fell silent. He wasn't sure what Kanda wanted, and, if the frown on the older man's face was anything to go by, he didn't quite know what was going on either, but Allen knew what _he_ wanted and reached to entangle the fingers of his unrestrained hand in the lapels of Kanda's coat, urging the taller man nearer, pressing their bodies closer as he turned his face upwards.

Kanda's look of confusion cleared when he felt Allen's body against his own, and couldn't quite believe what was going on when he realised what the hopeful look in the still unfamiliar brown eyes and upturned face meant.

Was this really what he wanted? Sure, he'd _thought_ about it, but that didn't mean that he should _do_ anything, did it?

He frowned when he realised that while his mind was trying to work out when the hell everything had become so surreal, his body had decided that thinking was overrated and the hand not holding Allen's arm was tangled in his long brown hair and their mouths were hovering a hair's breadth apart, just waiting for one of them to make a move and close the distance.

Then suddenly Kanda was being pushed away.

Allen wrapped his arms around himself, backing away and shaking his head in horror, tears gathering in his eyes. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry" he kept muttering under his breath, not meeting Kanda's eyes, eventually turning his back on the other man.

Kanda stood there, his mind so full of 'what the fuck?' that at first he couldn't do anything other than stare dumbfounded at Allen. He couldn't work out whether he was disappointed or not, but he _did_ know he was angry- though whether it was because he's been nearly _kissed_ by the other teen or because he'd been _nearly_ kissed even he didn't know. Eventually he just grabbed Mugen from the pew and belted the sword around his waist. "Che, whatever" he growled, turning on his heel and striding down the aisle, flinging the broken doors wide and glaring his confusion into the night.

Only his eyes did not meet rain soaked streets or French pedestrians.

"Well, well, well," a smooth voice broke the still evening air. "What do we have here?"

Kanda's fist tightened around Mugen's hilt as he growled out the name of the tall figure standing in the churchyard.

"Tyki Mikk."


	14. Chapter 14

Minato Shiki- Why else would Tyki show up if not to make things more interesting, and quite possibly more bloody too?  
CrimsonKitsune333- I'm glad you liked the chapter. It was really difficult to write after so much time off, but hopefully I'll get back into the swing of things soon!  
MiniBloodyMurder- Lol. Thanks… I think.  
sakurawitch- He pushed him away because I'm a sadistic bitch! Thanks for reviewing!  
KitsuneHinote- OMG FINALLY! Thank you very much for your comments, I'm so glad that someone else realises that no character taken out of canon and put into a situation like this is going to be 100 percent IC. I'm glad you don't think it's completely crap!  
Evil Pixies Are Yummy- Lol Whatever shall happen now?!  
Shinimegami7- You're not kidding about the hospital thing… I had someone DIE on my ward. When you wake up at 3 am because a nurse at the bed next door is going 'Ethel? Ethel? Ooh, I don't think she's breathing, no, not breathing…' it kind of puts a downer on the rest of the day… And don't even get me STARTED on the food…  
ShikiRima4eva-doublesided- Ah, I'm sorry, I do love a cliff hanger. I was seriously debating whether to end this chapter on one too, and… well, I guess you'll have to read it to see what I decided! And you want to know what happens? Believe me, so do I… I can't even remember where I was planning on going with this fic after chapter 15…  
eMi to mAo 374- I'm glad you liked that chapter. Considering it's not action filled or anything, I think it might be my favourite so far. Of course, one with actual contact would have been better, but we can't have everything!  
InfinityOnTheRun-Thank you so much for your comments, it made me all happy inside (and right now, I need lots of happy!) So… Allen knows that he wants Kanda, Kanda _thinks _he knows that he wants Allen, what will happen next?! (no, seriously, I'm stumped)  
Saltyeyes- It was hardly Kanda's fault that Allen went all frigid on him!  
knux33- It's a good word, I like it. I'm glad you liked this chapter!  
Princess of Oblivion- You know, your guess is as good as mine, but I'm hoping for lots and lots of blood. (Bexi is giving me a funny look; I have no idea why…)  
Linea Arlis- Yeah, Kanda could have stopped Allen from pushing him away if he really wanted to, but he was a bit confused about the whole thing, bless 'im. Oh well, maybe next time. That is, if there _is_ a next time now that uber-awesome Tyki has arrived.  
Harmony283- Well, not being the creator of these characters, I guess getting them completely right is not something that's going to happen. Everyone has their own interpretations of the characters, how they think they would respond to (lets face it, completely out-of-character) situations and as I primarily read manga instead of watching anime, I find that there is a lot more that the reader (and fan-fiction writer) can use their own imaginations on. As such I have tried my best to keep as close to the canon characterisations as possible while writing this type of fic, so I am sorry if you don't think that it meets the standards that you would like. (shoots beta a dirty look) I also went back and changed those mistakes, so thank you for pointing them out! And really, what's love without a little cliché? Thanks for your comments!  
glon morski- Ah, we all love a bit of action! This chapter will hopefully satisfy and tide you over until next time.  
marufu-chan- I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. And I know that if I were in Kanda's shoes, I'd be more than a little bit frustrated and probably very confused. And we all know that if you confuse an angry person, they just get angrier!  
Melodicxstar- Well, I couldn't have them kissing _just_ yet, I like to prolong the agony!  
a1y-puff- Well, what _is_ Tyki doing there? Ho ho ho… you'll have to wait and see. (Yeah, for like, all of five minutes until you read the chapter) And I couldn't have them kissing just get… I have more chapters to write! I love a good cliffy… but I wouldn't end two chapters on the run with one… would I? *shifty eyes*  
Erendyce- It'll all make sense when you realise why I had Allen push Kanda away. I'm glad you liked the church scene… we all know that Kanda's not as heartless as he pretends to be!  
Myaeve- *Hits you with an update* Here you go! And unfortunately, I am not allowed to give away siblings- I said I'd be happy just picking on Bexii instead of the others but she didn't seem too keen on that idea, and won't let me sell them. Dammit.  
AnimeFreak426- Dammit. Do you just want to write this instead? Lol, I hate it when the plot is obvious! Just for spoiling my fun and guessing what's gonna happen next, I'm not going to talk to you. Well, obviously I am, since that's what I'm doing now, but you get the point. Hmph! (Love you really!)  
Zexion's Somebody- How could I end it like that? Cos I am a sadistic bitch who likes to leave you hanging!!

And as always, thanks to everyone who reviewed, favourited and alerted me or this fic!

* * *

Yes, it's late. Two weeks late. I am soooo sorry. These last couple of weeks have been hectic since I started my newest job and suddenly I'm working full time, getting up insanely early and going to bed super early so can get up again the next morning… and well, you can see my free time has gone poof. So I can only write at weekends really by the time I've got home, had my tea, washed my uniform and had a bath.

* * *

Chapter Fourteen.

Allen couldn't believe what he had just nearly let happen, what he had _encouraged_ to happen. He would have liked to lay all of the blame at Kanda's feet, but he had never been a fan of self-denial, and was fully aware that it was himself who had reached out to pull Kanda closer. Sure, the older youth had been the first to make contact, but Allen had known just by looking at him that Kanda wasn't really sure what exactly had been happening between them. His body had acted, following natural instincts, but in his dark eyes there had been doubt- Kanda hadn't really known what he wanted.  
Allen scrubbed his face with his hands. It wasn't fair on Kanda to treat him this way, but Allen knew that he'd lost control of himself, doing something he'd vowed never to even allow himself to contemplate.

He couldn't kiss Kanda, no matter how much he wanted to- couldn't be more than allies or not-quite-friends. Not with anybody, but especially not with this man. Allen couldn't allow himself to love anyone. Because if he did, he'd kill them.

0o0o0o0o0

Kanda glared at the Noah, his face a mask of enraged hate and his eyes spitting fury. His knuckles whitened around the hilt of his sword as he spread his feet wider, taking on a fighting stance. "What do you want?" he growled, watching as the Noah took a few steps forward, for all the world looking like he was out for a stroll.  
Tyki laughed, rolling his shoulders casually as he stepped into Kanda's personal space. "Undoubtedly for the same thing as you, Mr. Exorcist" he said as he circled behind the shorter man.

It was then that Allen reached the door, still full of embarrassment for his earlier actions and fuming that Kanda had just walked off without him. "Look Kanda, I…" he trailed off when he saw the Noah, "Oh…"

Tyki seemed surprised. His eyebrows rose to meet his curly hair, disrupting the row of crosses on his forehead. He turned to look at Kanda, a smirk on his face. "Or perhaps I am not here for the same thing as you" he said slyly. "Do your superiors know you are sneaking off to meet you male lover? In the house of God, no less," the Noah said in a condescending tone.

Kanda snarled, drawing Mugen in one rapid movement. "He's not-!" he started to deny furiously.

"Oh really?" the Noah interrupted, smirk still in place. "Then you won't mind if I…" He stepped up close to Allen, catching the end of his ponytail between long grey fingers and lifting it to his face as of to kiss it.

Allen had to stop himself from hitting the Noah, knowing that the only way to land the satisfying strike he really wanted to would be to use his left hand, which would almost certainly give the game away. They were in a pretty precarious situation as it was, as soon as Tyki called in the Akuma he doubtlessly had patrolling the town for the rumoured innocence, Allen's curse would activate and he may as well hang a sign around his neck saying 'I'm Allen Walker, please kill me' for all the good his disguise would do him. So instead of hitting the Noah like he really wanted to, Allen turned quickly, tugging his hair free and backing away from him to where Kanda was standing, ducking behind the older man as though using him as a shield. He made sure the left side of his face was hidden behind Kanda's back, just in case.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Kanda hissed in a furious whisper.

"If he finds out who I am, we're totally screwed!" Allen breathed back. Tyki might not get particularly chatty with the exorcists, but it didn't mean that the risk of his whereabouts, and more importantly, his travelling companion, reaching the Order was one that could be ignored. And he was under no illusion that he or Kanda would be able defeat the Noah without a long bloody battle that neither of them was prepared for. "If we want that innocence we need to get away… maybe if I run he'll let me go."

"Running away, Moyashi?" Kanda sneered, not taking his eyes from the grey-skinned man who was watching their conversation intently.

"Sod off BaKanda" Allen snapped, careful to keep his volume low. "I don't like this any more than you do."

Allen hated the fact that his only strategy involved him running away and leaving Kanda to distract Tyki alone, but somewhere in this jumble of buildings was an innocence fragment and a bunch of Akuma searching for it. He didn't like it, but he knew that he stood a better chance of finding it than Kanda, if only because his eye could see where the Akuma were gathering.

Tyki clasped his hands behind his back and regarded them with golden eyes, head tilted to one side thoughtfully. There was something strange going on, he noted. There was definitely something almost… possessive… about the way that the exorcist acted around his companion, so this was no casual acquaintance, and, though the shorter of the two teens _looked_ like he was cowering in fear- his stance seemed right and the way he hid himself behind the exorcist was certainly convincing- Tyki was no idiot, and there was something lurking in those clear brown eyes that were watching his every move, as though the boy was fully aware of what the Noah was capable of. Perhaps this trip was not a wasted venture after all. First he would take care of the exorcist, though he wouldn't kill him, not _yet_ anyway. All the better to have his little friend watch as he snuffed the life from those fiery dark eyes and destroyed that annoying innocence, before he would turn his attentions to the delightfully, _sinfully_ beautiful boy and showing him just what the Noah of Pleasure was capable of.

He could not hear the words of their hushed conversation, but the gist was clear, and he grinned at the prospect of a hunt. He waved a hand dismissively. "Let your boy-toy go, Mr. Kitchen-knife" he granted magnanimously. "I have no interest in the slaughter of ordinary humans when there is an exorcist around to play with, though the same cannot be said of my Akuma. I promise you he won't get far."

Allen glanced at Kanda, waiting for his response. Kanda closed his eyes for the briefest of moments before nodding tersely, adding in a quiet growl "Once you get it, head back to Paris. Don't wait for me."

Allen had no intentions whatsoever of following those instructions, and he suspected that Kanda knew that, but nodded anyway, the lie making them both feel better about separating. He splayed his hand fleetingly across Kanda's tense back before turning and sprinting away into the darkness.

Tyki watched with amusement as the slight figure disappeared into the gloom. _See you soon, boy_ he grinned before turning his attention back to the exorcist, his grin becoming wider and more sadistic. "Now then" he said with a small bow "Shall we?"

0o0o0o0o0

Allen darted down an alley, finally deciding that he was safe enough to stop and catch his breath. His eye had activated a while ago, testament to the presence of nearby Akuma, but he counted himself lucky that he hadn't run into one yet, tired and out-of-sorts as he was feeling. He leant into the damp brick wall, trying to calm his rapid snatching breaths and racing heart. He had taken several random turns along narrow streets and shady alleyways and knew that he wouldn't be able to find his way back to the church without difficulty. Good. The harder it was to rush back to Kanda's side, the less likely it was that his resolve would falter. He had to find the innocence before the Akuma did, and then, maybe, he'd be able to get Kanda away from the Noah before something happened. If Kanda got hurt then he'd never be able to forgive himself.

What was worse was the fact that he knew that he might never see Kanda again. Not that he thought Kanda weak- far from it- but there were so many things conspiring against them, and for the first time since he'd pushed Kanda away in the quiet sanctuary of the church, he regretted doing so, and if either if them died, he'd never know whether what he had thought he had seen in Kanda's eyes was really… a noise cut that thought off before it had fully formed.

Allen's breathing slowed and he was finally able to snatch a lungful of air, glancing around as he tried to locate the source of the sound. There were shuffling footsteps approaching from the opposite end of the alley- two, maybe three, people were headed towards him. Now they were getting closer he could make out the low murmur of their voices, and, though he couldn't distinguish the words, he could tell that it was a man and a woman talking in an intimate whisper.

He was just about to turn and leave the relative safety of the alley, not wanting to be spotted by the couple as he skulked in the darkness but they rounded the corner and his eye revealed that they were not the human couple that they were pretending to be.

He tensed, expecting an attack, but the Akuma just strolled by, paying him hardly any attention, though the woman gave him a fleeting curious look as she passed.

He stalled in confusion, turning to watch the two demons walk away, wondering why they hadn't attacked him. Then he realised- he wasn't wearing the coat that would identify him as an exorcist that would usually draw their attention. He could only think that their concentration on following Tyki's orders to find the innocence was keeping their attention away from attacking any humans they stumbled across.

'Idiot boy.'

The voice in his mind startled him and he scowled- he'd been half-hoping that the Fourteenth wouldn't start talking to him again- it had been several days since the Noah had last spoken.

"Those Akuma are searching for the innocence. How long do you thing you've got until they sense ours?"

'_Ours?!'_ Allen asked, outraged. _'Crown Clown is my innocence, it has nothing to do with you!'_ He crossed his arms petulantly. _'A Noah cannot possess innocence.'_

The Fourteenth sniggered. 'If that's what helps you sleep at night. Now, are you going to find that innocence or not?'

'_But they- Akuma-'_ Allen turned to look back in the direction that the 'couple' had departed, the need to destroy them and free their souls warring with the desire to find the innocence cube and get Kanda away from Tyki, hopefully in one piece.

There was a definite smirk in the voice now. 'The sooner you find that fragment, the sooner you can get back to the exorcist.' The Fourteenth's voice softened slightly, as though he actually understood Allen's dilemma. 'It's more important that you find it than destroying those Akuma right now.'

Allen knew that the Noah was right- finding the innocence and stopping it from falling into enemy hands and being destroyed took precedence over chasing down those Akuma, but he still hesitated- never before had he willingly walked away from any Akuma. He bit his bottom lip uncertainly, shifting his weight a little as he looked back the way that he had come. Kanda was still fighting, was counting on him to get the innocence to safety. Kanda _trusted_ him.

That made up his mind and he started running- away from the Akuma, further from Kanda and hopefully nearer to the innocence.

'That's right boy, think of the bigger picture.'

'_Just because this time you're right does not mean you can talk to me.'_

The Fourteenth sounded unusually angry. 'You and I, we are on the same side. I no more want the Earl to win this war than you do. You should welcome anything I have to say on the matter with gratitude on bended knee!'

"I would, if it didn't come with the unfortunate side-effect of my death!" Allen snapped, speaking out loud, his voice shattering the rain soaked silence of the street.

'Touché' the Fourteenth murmured before falling into silence.

"What was that?" Allen said after several minutes of random wandering, pausing when he heard a distant clattering coming from the rooftops.

'Don't ask me' the Fourteenth said snidely. 'I'm not allowed to speak, remember? Though you'd do well to not talk aloud when alone, you appear quite mad.'

Allen ignored him, looking around for any clue to the whereabouts of the innocence he was searching for. Although he hadn't found it yet, it appeared that the Akuma were having no more luck than he was- the two he saw earlier were certainly in no rush.

The clattering noise, like something tumbling down steps, rang out again, sounding further away than before.

Intrigued, and with no other lead to go on, he decided to go and find out what exactly it was. Glancing around, making sure he was truly alone, he activated his innocence. Thanks to the emblem on Kanda's uniform coat, he'd eaten exceptionally well these last few days, not that he and Jo had been starving in Paris- he made enough money to pay for their room and the massive quantities of food he consumed twice over, and that was without taking into account the items that Jo managed to 'acquire'. The thievery was something that Allen condoned, but it was second nature to the girl, and Allen doubted he'd ever break her of it completely.

The improved diet had done wonders for his synchronisation rate and activating his innocence felt as natural and fluid as it always had, for which he was glad. At the moment, when the rest of his life was in a constant state of flux, it was nice to have some sort of consistency.

He used Clown Belt to haul himself onto the rooftops, the sound of his boots on the tiles echoing loudly and confirming his suspicions.

There was someone else up here.

0o0o0o0o0

Tyki gave Kanda a mock bow. "I wonder how far your little boy-toy will get before my Akuma destroy him?" He sighed, sounding both regretful and derisive in one breath. "I do hope he's still alive when I've done with you. It would be my _pleasure _to take care of him since you'll no longer be around to do so."

Kanda levelled his blade at the Noah's smirking face, activating Mugen to level two and feeling the usual tug of the twin blades as the tattoo that was already spreading over his shoulder grew a little more. "Shut up you sick fuck" he snarled. "You won't get the chance to touch him."

"Ah, this familiar dance" Tyki grinned, spreading his arms wide, purple light creeping up his forearms and solidifying into blades of dark matter over the backs of his hands. "It seems we are doomed to repeat our parts until we die. Though," he paused, giving Kanda a sly look. "This time you are quite alone."

Kanda did not dignify that with an answer, wasting no more time on idle chatter and useless posturing as he charged towards the Noah almost silently, the only noise he made was the barely discernable sound of his boots on the rain-slicked ground.

The grin dropped from Tyki's face, recognising that the exorcist was serious and could not be further provoked into making a mistake- he was far too focused.

At the moment at least.

Tyki allowed a small smile to creep back onto his face. He was sure that, given enough time to become frustrated, and if goaded with comments about the fate of his companion, the exorcist could be forced into rash action. Tyki just had to be patient.

He lifted his arms to stop the exorcist's blow and push him back, innocence and dark matter meeting, neither one giving against the other.

Kanda scowled as the Noah blocked his attack holding Mugen at bay easily. He had known that was not going to be an easy fight, but he couldn't remember the Noah being quite this strong the last time they had met. He caught the tail end of a smirk trailing across the other man's face and it didn't give him a good feeling. He couldn't be sure just what it was about this man that put his teeth quite so on edge, but what he did know was that the Noah planned to do… something… to the damn sprout.

He pushed a little more, leaning all of his weight onto the twin swords, trying to force the Noah backwards. He wasn't sure what he was hoping to achieve- the last time he'd fought a Noah and won it had killed him, and though he knew he had improved since then, and even though he hated to even _acknowledge_ the thought, he didn't think he'd get away from this battle unscathed.

The only thing he could do was distract Tyki long enough for Allen to find the innocence and get the hell out of there.

He hoped that the fact that it was Allen who had suggested that they split up meant that he would hold true to his promise and head back to Paris once the innocence had been retrieved, but somehow he knew that it was in vain- Allen would never just leave without at least finding out what had happened to him first, so that left him with one option- he had to defeat this Noah before Allen came back and once again made himself a target for whatever plans the Noah had for him.

He snarled, pushing all that he had into forcing the Noah back, freeing his blades from the stalemate with the ringing sound of grating metal, only to quickly change direction and scissor the two blades back at the Noah's neck, hoping to end it with a swift decapitation.

Tyki's eyes widened in surprise as the swords swung back at him, and he only just managed to avoid getting his head removed by leaning backwards so that they cut through empty air. He was surprised that the exorcist had nearly managed to out-manoeuvre him with such a simple attack, but he wasn't going to let the younger man get complacent- it had been nothing but a lucky move, after all. He grinned smugly, holding his bladed arms out to the sides mockingly. "What's the matter, Mr Exorcist? Can you not manage to cut me with your knife?"

Kanda's eyes narrowed at the Noah who insisted on mocking him even now, but said nothing, raising Mugen once more, searching for an opening, and not finding one. Despite the Noah's seemingly relaxed pose, Kanda could find no weakness in his stance, and he was as irritated as hell. It was getting the point where he was even considering abandoning all of his training and just charging at the Noah to see where that would get him, but before he could decide whether to act recklessly in the hope of surprising the so-far unruffled Noah, a loud rumble tore through the air, echoing along the tiny streets. Even in the relative darkness, a clear cloud of dust could be seen silhouetted against the pre-dawn sky.

0o0o0o0o0

Allen skidded to a halt on his precarious perch on the roof tiles, open-mouthed in shock. The level three Akuma seemed to find his surprise amusing and laughed. "What's the matter, little human? Never seen an Akuma before, have you?"

Allen didn't try and correct the demon, though he was annoyed about the 'little' comment- he had grown, after all. Though to be fair, when you're ten foot tall yourself, most people would look 'little'. He took notice of the glowing green object in the Akuma's hand.

"Where are you taking that innocence?" he asked the Akuma. The demon looked down at his hand then back up to Allen, confusion written across its ugly features.

"You're no exorcist" the Akuma said with conviction. "You're not wearing a coat."

"No, I'm not" Allen agreed amiably. "I am not with the Black Order."

'Don't push it too far, boy. The Akuma will kill you just to simplify matters if you confuse it.' The Fourteenth warned softly.

Allen sniffed in acknowledgement but didn't otherwise reply. Instead, he turned his attention back onto the Akuma. "How about you give me the innocence? I'm heading back to Tyki now"

The Akuma stalled, obviously out of its depth. "Lord Tyki-Noah?" it asked slowly.

"That's right, He's fighting an exorcist right now. Why don't you hand over the innocence and go and help him out?"

The Akuma seemed to be considering Allen carefully, its head tilted to one side as it thought. "Who are you?" it asked eventually, apparently at a loss.

"Nobody important" Allen assured it, taking a step closer with his hand extended.

Warily, the Akuma reached out with its own hand, offering the innocence cube to Allen. Just before he could take it from the demon, however, the Akuma snatched its hand back, a scornful sneer on its face.

"You think I'm stupid, human. You might not be wearing the coat, but you have innocence. You are an exorcist." It spat the word 'exorcist' as though it tasted foul.

Allen frowned. "Not anymore I'm not" he corrected, but his smile was grim. "You are right about one thing though- I do have innocence." And as he spoke he activated Crown Clown, moving to slice the Akuma with his claws before it could get away, but it was faster than he had thought, and dodged the blow easily, dancing out of range across the rooftops.

Gritting his teeth in irritation, he sprang after it, arms pumping as he attempted to catch up with the deceptively speedy Akuma. The tiles beneath his feet were slick with rain and made movement difficult, though it seemed that the Akuma was having no such trouble at keeping it's balance.

"Lord Tyki will be most pleased that I killed you _and_ found the innocence" the Akuma said as it dodged another blow from Allen, moving smoothly from one roof to another.

Allen scoffed. "Tyki Mikk has tried and failed to kill me before, I hardly think that the likes of you will fare any better."

It looked like the Akuma didn't know whether to believe him or not, but what it thought was not relevant- it was only a matter of time until Allen managed to get close enough to finish it- after all, the Akuma was only defending, perhaps it knew that to come close enough to attack would mean it's destruction.

The delay was frustrating the hell out of Allen. He needed to get back to Kanda, not waste time chasing down this Akuma. It was the thought of Kanda that drove him to act recklessly, jumping forward suddenly, startling the Akuma which hadn't expected him to make such a bold, and in hindsight, stupid, move.

The Akuma's reach was longer, so despite the length of Allen's claw-like fingers, the outstretched demon's hand had to actually pass through his body before Allen could touch it. Which is exactly what happened.

Luckily the Akuma's taloned-hand only hit the upper, fleshier part of his shoulder, though the impact was enough to dislocate the joint and punch a sizeable hole through his flesh, as well as snapping the thin collarbone and fracturing his shoulder-blade. Allen felt the joint sag as the Akuma started to disintegrate, it's arm pulling free before it was completely destroyed. As it vanished, it's soul finally free, the innocence it had been carrying dropped to the tiles with a soft tinkling sound.

Allen sighed, deactivating his own innocence so that he could use his left arm to support his now injured right as he walked forward to collect the retrieved fragment. But even as his fingers closed around it, the beams supporting the roof gave a warning groan before the ground was rushing up to meet him as he fell in a confusing tumble of tiles and wood.

0o0o0o0o0

"It would seem that my Akuma may have gone overboard with your little friend" Tyki said, smirking. He attempted to contact the level three that he knew should have been in the area, but nothing answered his mental address. "How strange" he muttered, the purple blades vanishing as he crossed his arms and rubbed his chin as though confused. "My Akuma appears to have been destroyed, yet the exorcist stands before me."  
The act of confusion was dropped and he turned a sinister expression on the exorcist. "Tell me, before I kill you, just who is that boy with you?"

The exorcist smirked arrogantly. "You'll never know. He'll be gone with the innocence long before you get past me."

"We shall see" was all Tyki said as the blades re-materialised before he charged forward once more.

0o0o0o0o0

Allen groaned as he sat up, surprised that he hadn't been knocked unconscious by the falling debris. He did feel like the wind had been knocked out of him, and his already injured arm now hurt like a bitch. It seemed that due to his dislocated shoulder, he had been unable to use his right arm to break his fall, and the fall had broken _him_ instead. It was too dark to see for sure but it seemed like at least one, if not both of the bones in his forearm had been broken when he landed. In his now-slack fingers however, the innocence cube was still glowing serenely, and he was thankful that he had not let go of it in the chaos of the fall.

He knew he had to get out of here- there was no way that none of the townspeople hadn't heard the roof collapsing, and soon the area would be swarming with locals intent on finding out what exactly had just happened, and if the collapse had been as noisy as he suspected, it was quite possible that Tyki and Kanda had heard it too, even from their distance.

It was that thought more than anything else that spurred him into action- if Tyki _had_ heard the roof collapse, he would probably assume that it was the result of the Akuma catching up with him. What if he tried to contact it and got no reply? It was unlikely that he'd think that a simple human had finished off the machine-demon. If Kanda got hurt because of his carelessness…

He got to his feet, weaving precariously as he clutched his right arm with his left, trying to ignore the pain that throbbed incessantly from his shoulder. That Akuma had really done a number on him- if it came down to it, there was no way he'd be able to use his exorcism sword- his right hand was not going to be holding anything anytime soon.

Still… he couldn't hang around here all night- he couldn't even leave like he'd promised. Kanda was in danger and it was his fault- that was all he knew, and he couldn't go without the other man. They'd both known he wasn't planning on it anyway, no matter what Allen had promised before they separated.

He took a few uneven steps forward, testing out the rest of his limbs. Fortunately it seemed that everything else was in full working order, and he gritted his teeth and forced himself to move, steadily picking up the pace until he hit a lurching jogging run that caused him to meander slightly along the pavement, crashing unsteadily into buildings and grasping lamp-posts in an attempt to keep him upright. He used the distant crumbling spire of the abandoned church as a landmark, keeping his eyes on it as he ignored everything else. He knew it was careless- knew there were Akuma wandering around, that for all he knew Tyki had finished with Kanda and was now seeking him out, but none of that mattered. He kept himself moving determinedly, desperate to make it back to Kanda's side.

0o0o0o0o0

Kanda choked as the inhuman strength the Noah possessed pinned him easily against the stone monument like a butterfly to a board. Mugen was still tightly clutched in one hand- he wasn't going to be letting go of it in any hurry- and he used the other one to try and prise Tyki's hand from his throat, a rather fruitless effort that was forcing him to use more oxygen than he was getting, not to mention hurting his broken wrist like hell. He tried to slow his breathing, to calm down and try to think of a way to get the Noah to let go of him, but nothing sprang to mind. From this angle he couldn't as much as poke Tyki with his sword, and the Noah easily rejected any kick that Kanda actually landed.

There had to be something he could do- there was no way he was going to be _choked_ to death in an old abandoned churchyard, in the small hours of the morning, amid damp eroded grave-markers with no one to witness but the dead. It wasn't his style at all.

He gritted his teeth and made as if to kick the Noah again, distracting the tall man's attention enough that he didn't see Kanda's hand flying towards his face until it had actually made contact.

The area of grey skin darkened with the blow for a brief moment before the Noah's regenerative powers wiped the evidence away, much faster than Kanda's own wounds were disappearing.

"That was a good try" Tyki commended with a small, mocking smile that only incensed Kanda more, "But I am afraid that your little love-taps will do nothing to harm me."

"Then how about one from me?" a new voice said, and before either the exorcist or the Noah had chance to react, a gloved left fist was flying at Tyki's face, landing hard against his cheekbone and sending the grey-skinned man's head reeling back with the blow.

Kanda took the chance to knee the Noah in the nuts before breaking free of his now slackened grip and, grabbing hold of the new arrival with his uninjured right hand whilst still managing to keep a tight grip on Mugen, began to weave his way through the gravestones to where he had a vague recollection of the gate being.

He was so furious that at first he ignored the pained noises coming from his companion, but even he had to stop when an angry boot kicked him in the back of his knee, catching him unawares and making him stumble.

"What the fuck, Moyashi? What the hell do you think you're doing? You should be half-way to Paris by now." It was then he seemed to realise the state that Allen was in. He raised an eyebrow in question, words obviously failing him for the moment

Allen sniffed. "Stop looking at me like that, it's not my fault the roof collapsed." He tugged the arm that Kanda was still holding a little. "And can you let go? I'm pretty sure it's broken and you holding it like that isn't helping."

Kanda dropped the limb, still looking a little shocked at Allen's appearance. "Pretty sure it's broken?" he echoed. "It looks like it's about to drop off! Che, you make even the most simple of missions a fight for your life, Moyashi."

"Moyashi?" a smooth voice interjected as Tyki rounded a grave-marker and stalked gracefully towards them. "What a charming pet name. Beansprout, how lovely, though I fail to see the resemblance…" He studied the pair for a moment. "Of course, it is not the first time that I have heard that name from your lips, is it, Mr. Exorcist? Do you remember our battle in Edo?"

Kanda's eyes widened almost imperceptivity, though Allen saw it and wondered what it could mean. He had missed much of the battle in Edo before they entered the Ark, and the happenings afterwards had driven anything else from his mind, but if he had to put a word to the expression on Kanda's face, he would have almost called it… dread… maybe even fear… just what the hell was making Kanda look at him with that face?

"You used it like an insult back then" the Noah continued "said that you didn't care about that particular individual whom I had failed to kill" Tyki smiled as though reminiscing. "All the same, I do not think that you are the type to give pet names freely, and are even less likely to use the same one twice." He now fixed golden eyes on Allen, who felt his body tense. He cursed himself for being so slow- apparently Kanda had realised where Tyki's monologue was going long before he did. No wonder he had looked worried.

"It has been a long time, Allen Walker."

_Shit_ was the first, rather eloquent, thought that crossed Allen's mind at that moment. He took a half step back, wondering if he should continue with his charade or whether it was too late to try and pretend to be anyone else. The look on Tyki's face suggested that even if he did try to deny the fact that he was who the Noah had guessed he was, it would do no good.

"Let me guess," the Noah said, grinning fiendishly. "You are wondering whether you can get away with a denial, aren't you boy? Forget it."

Allen said nothing, though the frown on his face deepened and he glanced at Kanda out of the corner of his eye.

"Now I wonder," the Noah began as he started circling the two exorcists. "Why is the Dark Order's golden boy running around in disguise?"

'Be careful,' the voice of the Fourteenth warned softly, 'my brother is not prone to moments of mercy, and right now we are all easy targets.'

Allen silently acknowledged the Fourteenth's words, though he hardly needed to be told what the Noah of Pleasures was capable of.

"Not that it actually matters to me," Tyki continued, truly looking like he didn't care one way or the other. "I wonder whether you have betrayed the Order?" he mused, one hand on his chin as he continued to circle. "But then I ask myself, why would your companion in this circumstance be none other than an exorcist? Are you under cover? No, since your innocence marks you for what you are to anyone with half a brain. Is the Order facing a mutiny? Has the harshness of the upper echelons forced you to lose faith? Have you both turned your back on the church? If that is the case, why have you not Fallen?" He stopped in front of Allen, standing a little too close for comfort.

Allen heard Kanda shift positions behind him, as though preparing for an attack that was inevitable and immediately forthcoming.

"Perhaps," Tyki murmured as he bent closer "Your Order does not trust you anymore." He leaned his face towards Allen's, bending slightly at the waist and staring into his silver eyes. "Yes. There is something in you that they fear. It was you who moved the Ark in Edo, wasn't it, boy? It was not Cross as the Earl believed, but his apprentice." He stood suddenly, looking triumphant. "Cross was not the one to inherit the memories of the Musician, was he?"

Allen said nothing, though the half step backward, bringing him closer to Kanda's comforting heat seemed to be all the answer that the Noah needed.

"How pleased the Earl will be when he discovers that I have destroyed the greatest threat to his vision for this planet."

The words took longer to register in his mind than it took for Tyki to move, and by the time he realised what the Noah had been planning, it was already too late. He closed his eyes as he braced himself for pain, expecting the Noah of Pleasure's hand to disappear into his chest and rip out his heart any moment, but the pain did not come. Instead he heard a surprised sound come from Tyki, and a harsh raspy cough from in front of him. He blinked his eyes open and stared in shock at Kanda's back, at Tyki's hand that was protruding from it and felt sick.

What the hell was Kanda thinking? How was _this_ any better than Allen getting injured? Granted if he survived the initial blow, Kanda would be able to heal this wound far faster than he could, but never had he expected the older man to step in front of an attack to save him- it wasn't how Kanda worked. Although he professed to hate everybody, that they would have to fend for themselves and if they couldn't, well, it was survival of the fittest for a reason, Kanda had never _really_ put those ideas into practice, but still, to dismiss them so blatantly as to put himself in the way of an attack that would have hit a comrade, without the cover of a battle to make it less obvious…

Kanda coughed again, a horrible, gasping noise that warned of internal damage.

"Kanda…" Allen whispered stepping closer and spreading a hand across the slightly taller man's back. "What..? Why..?"

Tyki seemed to be in a state of shock, apparently not expecting the Japanese man to move so fast. He pulled himself together quickly however, and a sneering smile crossed his face. "I was going to have to destroy you sooner or later, but I was rather hoping to take care of little Allen first. Now I'll have your blood staining my gloves when I wrap my hands around his frightened little heart…"

"Stop Tyki, let him go," Allen said, stepping around Kanda who still hung limply on the Noah's arm. "Let him go" he said again, "and I'll make this interesting for you."

"Oh?" the Noah asked, amused. "And how will you do that?"

"Aren't you curious?" Allen whispered seductively, temptingly, as he slowly positioned himself between the Noah and Kanda, both pairs of eyes fixed on him, clearly wondering what exactly he thought he was doing. "Don't you want to know" he asked, wrapping his hands around Tyki's arm to guide it from Kanda's chest as he held the Noah captivated with his quiet words and lack of fear. He heard Kanda stumble behind him and knew that he was free. "Don't you want to know" he said again, forcing the spellbound Noah back a few steps, silver eyes locked with gold, "why I am not already dead by your hand? You tried to kill me twice, Tyki Mikk. Don't you ever wonder why I am still alive?"

The Noah swallowed and smirked. "The thought had crossed my mind, yes. No matter how we try to destroy you, you keep popping back up. Rather like a cockroach in that respect, aren't you?"

Allen smiled, though he found nothing humorous about the situation. "A cockroach? Perhaps. I do seem to have an innate ability to survive. Maybe I'm just stronger than you are."

"Doubtful" Tyki scoffed, freeing his arm from Allen's grasp and taking another step back to reclaim his personal space. This time Allen didn't follow him.

_I hope this works_ he thought, talking a small, almost unnoticeable step backwards, then another, opening up the space between them. He also hoped that Kanda was ready, and that he wouldn't hurt him too much when he realised what Allen was planning to do.

"No matter what the reason, you won't escape this time, boy," Tyki said, crossing his arms and smirking, as though he thought that Allen's show of bravado was over, nothing more than a way of trying to buy time that ultimately, Tyki had an excess of. That was why he had allowed Allen to separate him from the Japanese exorcist, had allowed the boy to put space between them. No matter what Allen was planning, the ending would be the same- the two exorcists had nothing to look forward to but their own inevitable destruction.

That was why he was so surprised when the pre-dawn darkness was split by a blinding white light that bleached all colour from the graveyard and chased the lingering shadows of night away. He could only stare in disbelief as Allen turned, accelerating into a sprint that took him to his companion's side in a moment, hauling the other man to his feet and supporting him as best he could with his broken arm and injured shoulder.

He could only watch in stunned incredulity as the light vanished, taking the two exorcists and the portal to the Ark with it.

0o0o0o0o0

Jo looked up in alarm as a flash of blinding white light chased away the shadows that clung to the room, the dawn light not enough to break through the tiny, grimy window yet. She watched, terrified, as a series of shapes made of the same light descended from the ceiling, but what frightened her more were the two figures that tumbled from the light as though it was a doorway; two long-haired figures in disarray, splattered with blood and wearing ripped and tattered clothing.

She didn't know whether to scream or not- they hardly looked to be in the state where they posed a threat to her safety, but they _had_ just tumbled out of thin air…she hovered indecisively on the spot, wringing her hands a little in nervousness. It wasn't until the brown-haired figure groaned and disentangled itself from it companion that she finally realised who it was.

Clutching his head, he shifted to his knees and lifted his eyes to hers. His face was scratched and bleeding, smeared with dirt and sweat, and the scar that she had only seen the once was showing through the concealer.

Allen gritted his teeth, trying to will the headache away. He hadn't had much choice, but he knew it was dangerous to use the Ark. It just gave Fourteenth permission to try and take over, and Allen had already been tired and worn out even before he attempted it. Now he felt completely wrung out. Kanda was going to kill him as soon as he could move, Allen realised. He looked down at the exorcist lying in a heap beside him, half on his front, half on his side, who was glaring at Allen particularly venomously though half-closed eyes.

"Are you okay?" Allen asked him, brushing dark hair aside so he could see Kanda's face properly.

Pale and dirty, shadows of fatigue under his eyes and smeared with blood, Kanda looked exhausted. His glared intensified under the scrutiny, and Allen couldn't have been happier to have that scorching gaze looking at him. There had been a point earlier when he wondered if he'd see it again.

"You're an idiot, Moyashi" Kanda growled out, teeth gritted in a grimace of pain that he was too tired to hold in. "I fucking hate you."

Allen grinned as Kanda closed his eyes. No, really, he couldn't have been happier.


	15. Chapter 15

Melodicxstar- I'm glad you liked the chapter! And I wouldn't worry about a late review, its not like the chapters are ever on time is it?!

Kiki2222- I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for leaving a review!

Ribbonseal- Yeah, its true, but we all know Allen is oblivious to lots of things or he'd have realised he and Kanda were made for each other ages ago!

A1y_puff- Thanks for the sketch, it's totally awesome! I'm really glad you liked the chapter- it was a bit hit and miss for me.

Animefreak2461- I'm sorry, I totally fail at writing action (which is why I didn't attempt to). And I did try to bring Kanda closer to death but it just didn't work right.

Marufu-Chan- I know, wouldn't it be great to be able to shake off an injury like that! Well, all I can say in my defence is its amazing what adrenalin will make you ignore!

Sweetkakes35- I'm glad you liked the ending. I thought it seemed more likely to happen than confessions of undying love.

XxMissyRandomxX- I loved your review- it totally made my day, I could feel the love oozing through the screen. I'm so glad you're still hanging in there.

Linea Arlis- Thanks for reviewing, I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter.

ErisMoon- Well here you are- hope the wait wasn't too long! Glad you enjoyed the chapter and thanks for reviewing.

Nimadel- Well I do like to cause pain! And don't worry, there will be some beansprout-jumping on Kanda's part soon! Not that I'm encouraging unhealthy addictions, but here's the chapter just for you!

Shinimegami7- Dirty thoughts? How naughty of you! I'm glad ou liked the chapter (and the pain!) Thanks for the review!

InfinityOnTheRun- Aw, thank you! I'm glad you liked it, even if you did have to wait forever for an update. Thanks for hanging in there!

Sakurawitch - I'm so happy that you enjoyed this chapter! Thanks for the review.

MiniBloodyMurder- Oh yes it did! Thanks for reviewing!!

Glon morski -Well, I guess this doesn't count as a _fast_ update, but it is an update none the less.

Crimson Kitsune3333-Thanks for the cookies :D Though Bexii-face has had to eat them since now I'm working I spend all day behind a desk not moving, so eating them will make me fat(ter). Lol.

Evil Pixies Are Yummy- Thanks for reviewing!!

Animeloverx175 - I'm glad you're still with me. Keep hanging in there, this story will get somewhere eventually!

Yuki-souma- I'm glad you liked it!

And OMG, 300 reviews! Thank you all so much, I can't believe the response I've had from this story, despite all my shortcomings. So thank you, thank you, a thousand times thank you to anyone you has ever reviewed, favourited, alerted or even lurked.

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OMG! I am so sorry it's taken so long, and that it is so crap. Work has really put a downer on my writing and though I've tried to get this up to standard, without one long block of writing time it was really hard to get the flow. Blah.

But hey, only one more chapter of Decline (pt one) to go. Yay. I'm going to really make an effort with the second (and more plot-based) part and do some serious planning so there isn't so long between updates. So sorry again, thanks for reading, I know I'm a fail.

A1y_puff has once again proved to be amazing and has produced another fantastic piece of Decline art, this one from chapter 13. Go now and check it out! NOW! http://a1y-puff(dot)deviantart(dot)com/art/Decline-Holding-Hands-155117736

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It came without warning. Allen pitched forward with a groan, just about managing to catch himself with his left arm before his face hit the floor. His head was pounding, pain rocketing back and forth through his skull as nausea swam through his body. He'd known that he'd pay the price for using the Ark, but he hadn't expected the backlash to be quite so violent. The pain in his arm and shoulder was nothing compared to this- it was agony, a twisting, soul-deep hurt that blocked out everything else.

He was vaguely aware of voices around him, but if they were speaking in a language that he understood, he couldn't distinguish any words that made sense to him. His shaking arm gave out underneath him and he fell forward, not even having the presence of mind to roll to the side to stop his face from meeting the rough wooden floor boards.  
The sudden motion and subsequent impact made the nausea increase and he coughed harshly, expelling bile and the remains of his last meal across the floor. Allen was only saved from collapsing face-down into the puddle of stomach contents by a hand grasping his uninjured shoulder and pulling him onto his side. He lay for a few moments, taking rapid, shallow, panting breaths and trying to calm the ringing in his ears. He figured that the pain was receding a little when he became more aware of his surroundings. Everything ached, like he was recovering from some long term illness, and now that he could feel other things again, his whole right arm burned with pain from where he lay on it. He couldn't tell whether his eyes were open or not- all he could see were flashes of black and white that obscured everything else. And above all else, the smug, if a little disappointed sounding, echo of someone laughing.

0o0o0o0o0

The first thing that Allen was aware of when he finally managed to drag his eyes open, aside from the dull throbbing of his head and stinging pain in his arm, was a set of worried hazel eyes staring down at him. It took him a few minutes to put a name to the owner of those concerned-looking eyes, and in those few moments before he did, he realised two other things. First, he realised that there was a heavy weight on his stomach, like someone was sitting on him. Secondly, he realised he was naked.  
"Ahh!" Allen yelped, sitting up in a rush and dislodging the blanket that had been drawn up to his chin. Jo jumped back in surprise, landing on her rear on the floor and scrambling back a little, still staring at Allen, though now the concern was tempered with shock, and maybe a little fear.

_"Oh Willi... er... um..."_ Jo stopped, remembering that this wasn't actually his name, but she couldn't remember what it was to save her life.

"Moyashi" a second voice interjected helpfully.

Allen looked around for the source of Kanda's voice. The older man was standing beside the tiny, grime-filmed window, looking to be in perfect health. His arms were folded across his chest and he was gazing out of the window as though he could actually see something through the dirt. Although his tone had been neutral, the expression on his face was sour, his eyes narrowed and mouth twisted in distaste. Allen wondered what had put Kanda in such a mood, though granted it wouldn't take much.

Jo didn't seem to know whether to take Kanda seriously or not- it was hard to imagine that the stoic Japanese man was joking, but 'moyashi' certainly didn't sound like a name.  
Allen scowled. "_It's Allen_," he said for the benefit of the French girl on the floor. "You arse," he added, snapping angrily at Kanda.

Kanda slid his eyes slowly over to the bed that Allen was sitting on, his face devoid of the smug expression that Allen had expected to see there. Kanda's face was carefully blank and didn't reveal anything about what the man was thinking, his eyes were dark and furious. Allen flinched back a little, and though he knew full well what Kanda's problem was, he decided to play dumb.

"What's the matter with you?" he asked, stressing, as he often did, the pronoun that thanks to unfortunate language differences was also Kanda's given name, in an attempt to goad some form of response from the man.

The flash of anger in Kanda's eyes said that he had noticed, but other than that the only sign that he had heard Allen at all was the slight tightening of the already thin line that was his mouth. "Is it really though?" Kanda asked, shifting his position slightly so his face was in shadow.

"Is it really what?" Allen replied, rather confused. He got no response to the question, and so turned his attention to the girl still sitting on the floor beside his bed. _"Are you alright Jo?" _he asked gently._ "I'm sorry of we scared you falling out of thin air like that."  
_Jo nodded back weakly._ "It wasn't too bad... all that blood was worse though... it was everywhere! I thought he was going to die! Then POOF!" _she made a gesture with her hands like an explosion,_ "it all healed!"_

_"Yeah, Kanda's special like that," _Allen murmured flicking his eyes back over to the silent ice statue in the corner. He looked down at his arm, which had been splinted neatly and bound to his chest to take the pressure off his collarbone. _"Well you took good care of me, at any rate."_

_"Oh, I didn't to that, your friend did. He was so angry when you passed out. He shouted at you for a bit and kicked you once or twice..."_ Which, Allen thought, would explain why he felt sore in places he was sure he hadn't been in before he passed out.

_"...And after that he calmed down a little bit and bandaged your arm. He was still bleeding then too, but he didn't do anything about that until he'd sorted you out. He must be a good friend."_ she added, looking a little sad.

_"He's a friend, I suppose..."_ Allen allowed _"But I don't think I'd call him a GOOD friend... He just hates to be inconvenienced."_

Jo seemed to brighten at Allen's assertion, not noticing his own sadness that was attached to the statement.

Said friend was still standing by the window, in all appearances ignoring the conversation going in behind him in a language that he did not understand, but actually he was trying to follow the conversation closely, despite the language barrier. He couldn't understand much, but he was perfectly aware that they were talking about him, he recognised his name at any rate, and though he had been almost turned to the window had spotted Allen's brief look in his direction. And he wasn't happy about it.

The two younger teens were now both sitting on the bed, leaning close together and talking in low voices as though they had forgotten that Kanda couldn't understand them anyway. Jo was hovering at Allen's side, looking extremely engrossed in whatever he was saying, one hand resting on his knee where it lay beneath the blankets, leaning forward earnestly, her eyes never leaving his face. He had nearly decapitated her for sitting on Allen when they noticed that he was starting to rally.

Kanda's lip twisted in distaste. How could Allen stand this little girl hanging all over him? He sniffed to himself, feeling very self-righteous. After all, this girl might be the same age as Allen, and only a couple of years younger than himself, but she had spent so much time pretending to be a young boy that she had yet to lose the mindset. That was right. He nodded to himself decisively in his head. There was no way that Allen could be interested in a girl that acted like a thirteen year old boy. Definitely. After all, he had attempted to kiss him back in the abandoned church, hadn't he? So obviously he was attracted to him...  
A little voice (one of those that he tried to keep silent at all times and at others ignore completely- one of those that sometimes agreed with Lavi, for example) decided now was the time to raise its head and make a comment. Maybe, it said, Allen was attracted to both males and females. Or maybe, it added, he liked Jo because he acted like a boy. He refused to entertain the idea that Allen was attracted to Kanda because he looked like a girl.

Still...

He looked over to the bed's occupants stealthily. There was no reason that he should actually care what Allen was doing with the girl at all. He certainly wasn't jealous. That whole idea was ridiculous. He was just concerned about the welfare of a comrade, one who had been injured on a mission. One who had saved his life by persuading the Noah to back off. Of course, that didn't make his actions in using the Ark to escape any better, and it was going to be some time before Kanda forgave him for that little stunt.  
He hadn't been able to move properly when they'd first landed, but he had been furious. Why the hell had Allen risked his mind... in essence his life, to get Kanda out of there? The Noah had been distracted with trying to kill Kanda, so why had he not taken the opportunity to get the hell out of there and to safety when he had the chance?  
Why had he acted like he cared?

Urgh, he was thinking himself in circles, which was never a good thing, and would only serve to confuse himself further. In a moment he'd start questioning his own actions as well- like why had he taken care of Allen before even thinking about himself. Of course, a hole in the chest was not the end of the world for him- it had healed in hours, but it had still been bleeding while it was healing. But Kanda had ignored the wound completely in favour of splinting up Allen's broken arm and resetting his shoulder. Though he had taken his frustration out on his unconscious body too, which had made him feel better.  
Allen's passing out had worried him- he wasn't stupid, he knew full well why using the Ark had caused such a reaction- the Ark was a machine of the Earl, after all, and the only other person who had been able to operate it had been the Musician, the Fourteenth- the Noah currently residing in one Allen Walker's head.

He would never admit it, never, but he was worried about Allen, and not only because if, and he said if because he firmly believed that Allen would not allow the Noah to take over his body so easily, no matter how self-sacrificing he was, the Fourteenth took over, the Order would be up against another Noah, but also because if it happened, Allen would be gone forever, and the world would be a dimmer place for it.

He shook his head, forgetting this time to keep the motion to himself and drawing the attention of the other two in the room.

Allen's face puckered in a frown as he watched Kanda by all appearances talking to himself. The man had been acting strange ever since Allen had come round to see it, perhaps even before then, and Allen wasn't used to it. However, Kanda had never been particularly verbose, and he was used to reading the older man's stance to judge his state of mind. He could see that Kanda was angry, and though that shouldn't surprise him in the least, since it seemed to be his default mood, this was different. Kanda appeared beyond just angry, perhaps even beyond furious- he was absolutely livid and Allen suspected that it was because of him.

Okay, using the Ark had been a stupid idea, knowing how much he suffered already when the Fourteenth encroached even a little way into his mind, but he hadn't been able to think of a way out at the time that didn't involve Kanda being killed by Tyki and Allen running away to save his own life. He still couldn't, and didn't regret his actions for one minute, even though his head was in agony. He wondered whether, if his body had not been so weak at that time, the Fourteenth would have been more successful in his attempt in taking over. To be perfectly honest, Allen wasn't sure how exactly he had managed to wake up as himself- when he had felt the overwhelming pain in his head swamp him, crushing him into unconsciousness, he half expected to lose control of his body for good.  
He remembered dreams, half-focussed, flitting things that crept through his head as he lay in the darkness of his mind, dreams that told him that the Fourteenth wasn't his enemy, that he too wanted to defeat the Earl and end this war, but at that time a broken, slowly healing,, altogether human body was of no use to him, and he would wait a little longer before taking Allen's body as his own. Allen didn't know whether these dreams were the Noah's way of explaining the situation to him, or his own imagination trying to provide reassurance that his life wasn't over (yet), but there was one thing he did know. If doing what he had meant that Kanda lived, even if it had cost his own life, it would have been worth it.

Jo recognised the moment that Allen's thoughts wandered from the conversation she was trying to hold with him and over to the dark-haired man that was standing by the window, and she didn't like the look of concern that took over his face- it was more than just worry over a comrade, no matter what either of them claimed- there was something closer, deeper there, and she didn't like it one bit. And she couldn't be sure, since the Japanese man was so hard to read, but she was sure there was something in his face that mirrored Allen's.  
She reached out and touched Allen's arm, drawing his wandering attention back to her. The look he gave her was polite, only slightly interested and she could tell he was still focussed on his friend. She thought the word 'friend' scathingly.  
_"Are you alright Allen?"_ she still stumbled over the name a little, and saw him smile. She was glad that he was paying her enough attention for that, at least.

_"I'm fine"_ he murmured quietly, his brown eyes finally focussing on his face. _"I was just thinking, that's all."_

She lifted a black eyebrow inquisitively. _"About what?"_

He smiled at her, the serious expression leaving his face and his eyes lighting up as though he was honestly happy and untroubled. _"Never mind, there's nothing to worry about, Jo"_ he said, the smile wide and bright.

She didn't believe him at all, and the look on her face must have shown it, because his smile dropped a little.

_"Honestly Jo, it's nothing to be worried about."_ He said again, and reached out to pat her hand, forgetting that his right hand was injured and tied to his torso. He flinched as the interrupted movement jarred his shoulder.

Immediately Jo forgot all about her own concerns and began clucking over Allen like a worried mother. _"Where does it hurt? Are you okay? You haven't dislocated it again have you? I don't think I could watch him put it back in place a second time, even without all the kicking! Maybe you should lie back down- are you cold? Shall I get you another blanket? You're not wearing anything after all..."_ which is when Allen remembered that he was still naked- with both Jo and Kanda in the room- _"And I don't want you to get any sicker!"  
_Allen blinked at her, reeling a little from the onslaught of words that she all but shouted in his face. _"Uh, no, I'm fine Jo, you don't have to worry, I just forgot I shouldn't be moving it this soon, that's all."_

She didn't look convinced, but he was feeling increasingly conscious of his nakedness beneath the thin covers, and added a bit more forcefully _"Really Jo, there's nothing wrong with me. Kanda took good care of me."_

Which, if Jo's face was anything to go by, was the wrong thing to say. She wrinkled her nose and pulled an expression of distaste.

Allen rolled his eyes. _"I'd like to get dressed now, if it's not too much trouble"_ he said, gesturing to himself. Jo just looked at him blankly, as though not understanding the statement. "_Are you going to at least close your eyes?"_ he asked meaningfully.  
Her eyebrows rose. _"You haven't got anything I haven't seen before, you know."  
_He flushed red and glared at her. "_Out. Now."_

Jo huffed irritably. _"Fine"_ she snapped, standing up in a self-aggrandising way and flouncing towards the door. _"I know when I'm not wanted! Stay here with your 'friend' for all I care!"_ She spat the word friend like it was the vilest of curses.

Kanda glanced over at the new tone, clearly wondering what turn the conversation had taken to make Jo speak to Allen like that. Though he found himself inordinately pleased that all was not sunshine and roses between the two younger teens.

He watched the girl storm from the room, slamming the door behind her. Girls, he smirked to himself, his eyes now settling on a disgruntled looking Allen, who was still sitting on the bed with the thin blanket pooled around his hips, right arm strapped diagonally across his chest.  
He wanted to know what they had been talking about to make the girl leave in such a rush, but didn't really want to admit that he actually cared what had happened.  
Allen was too preoccupied with trying to locate his missing clothes to notice Kanda's scrutiny, which was a good job since Kanda wasn't exactly being subtle about it. He didn't realise that he was so engrossed with watching the shift of muscles under Allen's now-tanned scarred skin until Allen looked up at him, brown eyes settling on his face.

Allen was only looking up to see whether getting out of bed to retrieve a clean shirt was safe, and so was very surprised to find Kanda staring at him with such an odd expression on his face. It didn't appear to have occurred to Kanda that they were now staring into each other's eyes from opposite ends of the room, and Allen could see those dark eyes flicking slightly as they studied his face, though what Kanda expected to see there Allen didn't know. Or maybe he did know, and didn't want to acknowledge it- if Kanda brought up the subject of their almost-kiss inside the church, he wasn't sure if he'd make it through the explanation without falling to his knees and begging Kanda to forgive him, to forget what had happened and pick up from the moment just before Allen pushed him away.

He wanted to speak, to ask if Kanda was feeling alright, but something about the force of the older man's stare closed his throat and dried out his mouth. He cleared his throat awkwardly, drawing the blanket closer about himself and shifting his shoulders in a mute expression of unease. Kanda was still saying nothing, though it appeared that he was now fully aware that he was staring at Allen, staring at his face, into his _eyes_, but whatever thoughts such intense scrutiny was creating, Kanda's face remained blank and calm, dark irises flickering slightly as they studied Allen's now flushing face.

Allen realised he probably looked at state- his long hair was dishevelled and knotted around his head, dirt smeared his skin in several places and there was still the odd patch of dried rusty-red blood on his upper torso, though it appeared that somebody (and he realised that it was probably Kanda) had washed the majority off. He knew that his concealer was rubbing off- it may have been resilient, but apparently it wasn't Akuma- or Noah-proof. He had seen by the way that Jo's eyes kept gravitating to the curse-mark that it was visible, and though he was used to being the centre of attention thanks to his peculiar looks, he had gone for so long without attracting unwanted interest that it felt weird to have people notice his unusual appearance once more.

Kanda, however, seemed either to not notice the scar that was now visible again on Allen's cheek, or he did not think it particularly stare-worthy. He thought back to when Kanda had first arrived, and how he had rubbed the concealer from Allen's face so that the scar was visible once more, and wondered whether Kanda preferred the familiar mark to the strange unfamiliarity of his newly-tanned face and dark eyes.

"What are you going to do now?" Kanda asked, finally breaking the silence. For once he didn't even sound angry, just tired. Allen wondered just how worn out Kanda was to allow evidence of it to appear in his voice.

"Now?" he replied, a little confused. So much had happened in the space of a few days that he wasn't sure _what_ was going on any more.

The expression on Kanda's face suggested that he was rapidly re-evaluating Allen's intelligence, something that he had never had a high estimation of in the first place. "The Noah knows what you look like," Kanda told him. "By now the Earl and every other Noah there is will be looking for you."

Allen sighed. His cover was blown and he had no idea what to do now. He couldn't just ditch the disguise- the Order would be all over him in no time- it wasn't like he was inconspicuous at all, yet he had no way of changing the disguise he had. "I honestly don't know."

Kanda snorted, though there was nothing remotely amusing about the situation, but didn't offer anything else to the conversation.

"Maybe I should cut my hair..." Allen mused, almost talking to himself, but speaking loud enough to include Kanda. "And stop dyeing my eyes brown..." he trailed off, knowing that no matter what he did it was unlikely that he wouldn't be recognised if spotted by the right people. "What do you think?" he asked the man still standing motionless beside the window.

Kanda shifted uncomfortably. It seemed he didn't know the answer either. Eventually he sighed and crossed the room, taking a seat on the bed next to Allen's folded legs. "Why..." Kanda frowned and began again. "What did..?" He stopped, shaking his head. "It doesn't matter. I'll talk to Komui, maybe e and Link will have some ideas."

Allen put out a hand to stop Kanda from getting to his feet. "Wait" he said, his voice almost a whisper. He didn't know what he was doing- why he was pushing Kanda into a situation that neither of them wanted to have. "You can ask me... please, don't..." He wasn't even sure what he was asking anymore, he only wanted Kanda to stop shutting him out in a self-perceived moment of weakness.

Kanda half-turned to look at him, and his face was ashen. He shook his head, trying to deny that he had started to say anything at all, but the denial was weak and he gave up with a sigh after one or two shakes of his head. Instead, he allowed anger to come to the fore and turned his scowling face on Allen fully. "Why the hell did you push me away?" the Japanese man snapped, a slight flush crawling up the back of his neck and turning the tips of his ears pink.

Allen gaped at him unattractively. That was _not _the question he expected to face when Kanda finally got around to talking about what had happened in the church. "Why did I push you away?" he parroted stupidly, not having anything more sensible to say.

"Che" Kanda said, crossing his arms across his chest and determinedly looking in the opposite direction.

Allen fell silent, not having any idea how to answer Kanda's question without condemning himself to a protracted bloody death.

Kanda cursed himself (mentally of course- he wasn't at the stage where he began spewing profanities directed at himself out loud. Yet.) and kept his eyes fixed on the far wall, trying his hardest to ignore the probing gaze he could feel resting between his shoulder blades. He hadn't meant to ask Allen that question; something more along the lines of 'what the fuck were you thinking, trying to kiss me?' or 'you're a sick little Beansprout!' was what he _planned _to snap at him, but all he could remember as he opened his mouth was the rough sensation of being pushed away, the feeling of being rejected (not because he was vain- it was just that he'd never imagined himself in the situation where it would happen) and the soft, pleading voice that Allen had used to try and coax an explanation from him. Dammit, he was no good at this kind of thing.

He wasn't even sure he _wanted_ to hear the answer to his question- there were only so many blows to his pride he could take before he spontaneously combusted.

"Did... didn't you _want_ me to push you away?" Allen asked uncertainly, and though Kanda couldn't see it, he knew that Allen's face was as red as a tomato right now, and he would be biting his lip nervously, hands fisted in the thin blanket.

"Che, don't answer a question with a fucking question, Moyashi."

"But... did... um..." Kanda felt the bed jostle as Allen shifted positions, probably feeling as awkward as Kanda did right then. "Did... did you want me to... um..."

"No," Kanda snapped, the flush deepening. Damn, if this conversation carried on in the direction it was threatening to, he might have to kill himself to save the embarrassment of continuing it.

"Good" Allen said quietly behind him, and Kanda stiffened with shock. "That's good, I mean, that I didn't do it then."

"Why the fuck did you try to in the first place?" Kanda stormed angrily, feeling surprisingly let-down by Allen's answer. If the little shit said that it was some sort of mistake, he'd wring his scrawny neck for him.

How did he explain this to Kanda? "I don't know" Allen admitted. He couldn't exactly say it was because he had _wanted_ to- that would freak Kanda out and he'd probably end up eating Mugen for his troubles. "I'm just glad that I didn't." He watched Kanda's back stiffen and wondered if he was being entirely truthful with him. He didn't even know if having this conversation was a good idea at all, but he'd started it, so he may as well try to finish it in a way that left him alive and in one piece and Kanda not leaving for the Order without another word.

"Not that there's anything wrong with you!" he explained hurriedly, realising this whole situation had become rather surreal at some point. "It's me... I can't... He... I... It's not safe" he finished miserably.

Kanda had turned back to face him, his face an odd combination of curious and angry. "You had better explain yourself before I run you through with Mugen just to simplify things."

Allen bowed his head miserably, drawing his knees up to his chest and tucking his chin in the divot between them. After several seconds of silence, he began speaking in a slow, quiet, measured voice. "When my Master first told me that I had the memories of the Fourteenth Noah within me..." he took a deep breath. He hadn't told anyone this, though he suspected that Lavi knew- then again, didn't Lavi know everything? - and hated the fact that of all the people he might have to tell, he was forced to tell Kanda. "He told me that when the Fourteenth took over my body, I'd end up killing someone I loved. And I can't risk your life like that!" he added vehemently, though the noise was muffled by his knees as he hid his face.

Kanda froze, a living statue of stone as he processed what Allen had said. It made sense, in a disgustingly, typical Allen way. Stupid self-sacrificing, martyring brat, determined to screw up his own lie before he'd even think of following an action that would have a negative affect on anyone else's. He was about to let Allen know just exactly what he thought of that when Allen's words finally caught up with him and all thought processes ground to a shuddering halt.

Love?  
Why had Allen used that particular word? Even if those were the words that Cross had used... why was Allen applying them to this situation? Love? That shouldn't come into it at all. Love was for people living perfect, beautiful lives, not those embroiled in a war with no end in sight. Love was not for murders, for sinners. Love was not for exorcists.  
He remembered Lavi's words, spoken in jest just before he left to come to Paris- _"And if you see the sprout, don't forget to tell him that you love him!"_ It wasn't something he had taken too seriously at the time- surely it had just been another way for the stupid rabbit to annoy him. But had Lavi seen something in either Kanda or Allen, or maybe even both of them? It wasn't often that Lavi was oblivious to people's private thoughts- he just pretended to be an idiot after all, so perhaps that remark had been more than a simple parting shot designed to annoy his self-proclaimed best friend. Had Lavi been suggesting something more? Had he spotted something in Allen's erratic behaviour that made him think that Kanda should make a move?

Kanda put a stop to those thoughts immediately. Why was he even thinking about this as though it all made perfect sense? It didn't, it couldn't. There was just no way- and he shouldn't even begin to entertain such thoughts. He shoved them into a little mental box and stomped on them firmly, sneaking a glance at Allen who didn't appear to have moved at any point during Kanda's little internal tirade. Did Allen even realise what he said, what Kanda could take from such a simple statement.

Had Allen meant to use those few short words as a confession of love?

Kanda faced a dilemma. Did he now ignore it- forget that anything was said and miss out on whatever sort of twisted relationship he and Allen could have, or did he risk it all now, lay his pride on the line, ask Allen to qualify his words...

A sharp intake of breath from the hunched figure next to him made him look down in surprise. He'd half thought that Allen had fallen asleep he'd been so still and silent, but when he turned he saw that Allen was now sitting bolt upright, left arm clenched around his folded knees, right tucked against his chest, and was staring at Kanda like he was the scariest thing he'd ever seen.

Kanda frowned, confused. What was up with the little sprout now?

Allen leaned away from Kanda, almost fearfully, swallowing nervously. He hadn't really just said that, had he? He'd been too busy wallowing in self-misery, upset that he had been forced into revealing something that he had hoped to take to his grave to pay much attention to how those words could be construed. Not that they were false- he just never meant for anyone, especially not Kanda, to hear them.

Kanda was staring at him like he didn't have a clue what was going on. Had Kanda really not heard Allen's slip? Allen frowned at the other man, their expressions mirroring each other perfectly.

Allen bit his lip, then decided that the silence was getting to him. "What?" he asked, sounding a little defensive to his own ears. Maybe he shouldn't have said anything- perhaps if he ignored the situation it would all just go away.

Kanda wondered then if Allen hadn't noticed what he said. "What the fuck Moyashi? Do you even realise what you just said?" he snapped, angry that his mouth had decided to voice the question before his brain had decided whether he was going to or not.  
The 'deer-in-headlights' look on Allen's face said yes, he did indeed realise what he had just said and had now just realised that the comment had not passed unnoticed by Kanda either.  
The expectant look on Kanda's face made it clear that there was no point trying to deny anything. Allen slumped dejectedly, shoulder drooping as he buried his face in his knees. "Sorry" he mumbled, the singular word muffled by his legs as he hugged them closer to his chest.

Kanda sighed, crossing his arms and bowing his head in an attempt to remain calm. He wanted to get his cleared up, he really did, but Allen wasn't being co-operative and now he was wishing that he'd never started this conversation in the first place. "I don't fucking get you, Moyashi" he said eventually, shaking his head. "Everything you say and do is conflicting. I don't understand what's going on in that head of yours."

Allen said nothing, just hunched further in on himself as though trying to block out Kanda's voice.  
"Well?" Kanda snapped, getting angry at Allen's blatant avoidance.

Allen shook his head, still hiding behind his knees. "Just forget I said anything" he pleaded. "I never meant to say it anyway, just forget about it. Please" he begged quietly, shoulders shaking a little.

There was no way that Kanda was going to let this go now he'd started down this road, and he suspected that Allen knew this- there was something resigned about the way he begged that said that he didn't expect Kanda to help him out.

"You never meant to say it?" Kanda asked, leaning towards Allen, trying to meet his eyes, which was difficult what with Allen's face buried between his knees. "So that means you still meant it?" he pressed.

Allen cringed a little. "If you're going to kill me get it over with already" he growled, embarrassed and angry that Kanda was sadistically drawing the torture out. It was obvious that Kanda was just making fun of him, but there was no need to do this to him- he couldn't even escape, trapped as he was naked in bed.

Allen's comment amused Kanda- obviously with his eyes closed and pressed against his legs Allen couldn't see Kanda's expression. If he had, perhaps he wouldn't have been so hasty in his judgement of the situation. He paused, hovering on the next action, the one that would change his life forever, one that would damn him to hell, but which could make whatever life he had left heaven.

The moment of silence made Allen look up. He had half expected Kanda to take him up on his offer to end his life- it seemed something that the older man was fond of threatening him with at least, but when nothing happened, he wondered whether Kanda had something more terrible planned for him. The look on Kanda's face did not seem to be one that would suggest that he was planning murder, rather he looked conflicted, torn, and Allen wondered what Kanda was thinking about to put such an expression on his face. He desperately wanted to ask Kanda what the matter was, but somehow drawing attention to himself while an open invitation to kill him still hung in the air didn't seem like the best idea. However, Kanda was still just sitting there, not moving. It didn't even seem like he was actually looking at Allen, but rather through him, eyes unfocused and thoughts turned inwards. Deciding that Kanda was probably trying to think of some cruel and unusual way of killing him, Allen thought that diverting his attention towards something a little more straight forward might be in order. "I'm sorry Kanda, I really didn't want to say anything, please don't-" He came to a halt. He had expected to be cut off halfway through his speech- he was attempting to goad Kanda into giving him a quick death- but he had expected it to be in the literal sense. However, Mugen remained stationary and it was a warm calloused palm covering his mouth that had stopped the flow of words.  
"Shut up" Kanda said, not unkindly. "And stop apologising, it's annoying."

"Sorry" Allen mumbled from beneath Kanda's hand.

Kanda shook his hand and therefore Allen's face beneath it a little in emphasis. "Shut up." His hand slid from Allen's mouth, though it hovered over his jaw, ready to gag him if necessary. "You only apologise if you regret something you've done" he said, very seriously, giving Allen's face another shake. "Or said." He added pointedly.

Allen tried to turn his face away but Kanda's hand stopped him; he had to settle for averting his eyes instead. "I don't understand" he confessed quietly, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "What do you want me to say?"

"Nothing" Kanda said simply, grasping Allen's jaw harder and turning his head upwards in order to meet his eyes better. He noticed that it was only because Allen was so slouched on the bed that he needed to do so.

Unwillingly Allen dragged his eyes away from the spot on the wall he had been studying and met Kanda's gaze. He understood the look in Kanda's dark eyes even less than his words. "Kanda, what..?"

"I told you to shut up" said Kanda, and then he kissed him.

* * *

Author note: I'M SORRY! What a total and utter fail! The cliché made me puke.

Beta note: OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG. Smoochy smoochy. Honestly, like you couldn't tell THAT was coming...


	16. Chapter 16

OMG guys I am so sorry. Working life has been pushing me hard and I've hardly had time to sleep, let alone write anything in the last couple of months. So I know I promised that I'd have this done and dusted by Easter, and yeah, I fail, epically, but better late than never, right? Right?

* * *

Chapter 16

For a moment Allen just sat there, completely stunned. A detached part of his mind registered that Kanda's grip on his jaw was only just on the nice side of painful, preventing him from moving away even if he _had _wanted to. Unlike the grip on his chin however, the mouth pressed against his own was gentle, uncertain, and though it had begun as harsh and crushing in Kanda's attempt to shut him up, it had soon softened to something bordering on tender.

The lack of response was obviously putting Kanda off- the rather one-sided kiss slowed and Kanda's eyes blinked open, a frown already forming on his face, and the hold on Allen's chin slackened as though Kanda was about to pull away.

Though he was still feeling confused, Allen _did_ have enough about him to realise that sitting here stupidly, not doing anything, was not conducive to a long and healthy life- Kanda was sure to murder him in embarrassed fury.

Before the older man could end the kiss, Allen reached out with his uninjured left hand and clenched his fingers around Kanda's collar, keeping Kanda in place as he opened his mouth and returned the kiss like for like.

Kanda still seemed ready to move away, perhaps thinking that Allen's hesitation was because he actually didn't want to be doing this. Well, Allen wasn't having any of that- maybe they shouldn't be starting down this road, maybe it was contradicting everything he'd ever told himself about relationships, but the other side of him, the side he tried to ignore so he couldn't give himself false hope, told him firmly that Kanda knew the risks- he knew why Allen couldn't do this, but had gone ahead anyway.

And know that he knew what kissing Kanda felt like, he didn't think that he'd ever be able to go back.

His hand left Kanda's collar and slid over his shoulder, tangling in the dark hair at the base of Kanda's neck, changing the angle slightly in an attempt to get as close as possible to the other man.

Kanda seemed to realise that Allen wasn't just going along with the kiss because he was afraid the Kanda would hurt him if he didn't, because the slackening grip on Allen's jaw suddenly tightened and his other hand clasped around Allen's side above his blanketed waist, turning his body to face Allen's fully, his hand sliding across pale naked skin as he gently pushed the younger teen back onto the mattress.

He pulled back, allowing them both to snatch a hasty breath before the simultaneously moved together once more, mouths crashing together and tongues sliding against their counterparts.

Kanda blinked hazy dark eyes open to find those familiar-unfamiliar brown eyes watching him with a surprisingly clear expression. He looked a little confused however, as though he still wasn't entirely sure what was going on, but there was something else there, something sparkling deep in his eyes that Kanda hadn't seen for a long time- something like happiness. Allen Walker had arrived at the Dark Order exuding the emotion, but slowly the strain of Hevlaska's prophesy and then the fourteenth Noah had drained it away, replacing it with heavy acceptance and a cynicism that was kept well hidden but was there all the same.

All trace of that was gone now though- just as Kanda had thought, no matter what excuses Allen had given earlier, pushing Kanda away had been the last thing he wanted.

He pulled away slowly, moving his hand to Allen's face to stall any protest, tracing the faint line of the scar showing through the ruined makeup and gently brushing aside a lock of dishevelled hair.

"What?" Allen asked, his voice almost a whisper as though he was afraid to break the fragile silence.

"Che" Kanda said, not moving from his position hanging over Allen. His face was blank, not scowling as usual, but not smiling either, and Allen suspected that whatever happened between them from now on, Kanda would remain the same stoic swordsman he always was. "I thought you didn't want to do this" he commented dryly.

Allen flushed angrily. That also seemed something that wouldn't change between them- Kanda's innate ability to piss him off. He didn't look away from Kanda's mocking expression, instead his face crumpled into a frown and he disentangled his fingers from Kanda's hair, wrapping them in the blankets in his lap. "I never said that" he muttered, not much louder than his whisper before. "It would just be better if I didn't."

Kanda scoffed, his words a harsh contrast to his actions, long fingers now gently carding through Allen's tangled hair. "Well that's tough shit, Moyashi. If you think for one minute that I'm going to let you go…." He trailed off ominously.

Allen supposed that for Kanda, the comment was actually quite sweet, harsh tone notwithstanding. He smiled ruefully, agreeing with Kanda's sentiment. "It's too late now anyhow," he sighed, and before Kanda could ask him to expand on that cryptic remark, he was rolled sideways as Allen knocked the supporting arm from under him, following him in one fluid movement that one wouldn't have expected from an injured person, so that he was settled astride Kanda's hips, the blanket tangled around them both.

Allen's mouth found Kanda's once more as his eager fingers worked on the fastenings on the exorcist's coat that hid the chest beneath him from view.

As soon as it was undone, Kanda sat up, forcing Allen to sit back and dropping the coat down his arms. He shrugged it off one arm, which, once it was free, tangled itself in Allen's untidy hair, tipping his head back and disengaging their mouths only to reapply his own to Allen's neck.

Which is the scene that met Jo's eyes as soon as she walked through the door.

Kanda was the first to spot their audience, his eyes catching the movement of the door opening over Allen's shoulder, but didn't feel that there was any need to draw Allen's attention to the fact that they were no longer alone, not while he was straddling Kanda's waist and using the hand buried in his hair to direct Kanda's mouth to each sensitive spot on his neck.

Smirking slightly to himself, Kanda bit down on the skin beneath him, drawing the first full-fledged noise of pleasure from Allen's lips, the sound lingering in the air even after it ended and breaking the girl in the doorway from her stunned silence.

"_Uh…"_ she began, the word strangled sounding and hoarse.

The noise drew Allen's attention away from what Kanda was doing to his neck. He tipped his head back and was presented with an upside-down image of his room and the spluttering teenaged girl standing stunned in the doorway.

For a moment he was frozen, hanging limply in Kanda's arms, legs clamped around the older man's waist, his left hand tangled in the base of his ponytail, then the next his eyes were closed and he was arching against the man beneath him as Kanda's teeth closed over a especially sensitive spot on his neck. The sound he made as he did so was particularly animalistic.

Jo squeaked a little and took a step back, although she seemed unable to tear her eyes away from the scene on the bed.

Allen tried to blink back the lusty haze that had clouded his mind, only succeeding somewhat since ignoring Kanda's mouth was proving very difficult.

"_Uh… hi Jo" _he gasped out, managing to free his hand and turning slightly on Kanda's lap so he could face the girl better instead of upside down.

A strangely twisted look flashed across the girl's face, gone before he could fully form, though something bitter lingered in her hazel eyes even as her expression closed off. _"I'm sorry"_ she said, her voice oddly flat. _"I should have knocked, but I didn't realise that the two of you were busy in here!"_ her voice had risen to a loud screeching by the end, so loud in fact that Allen was worried that her words would carry to the other inhabitants of the building.

Kanda, who had stopped his ministrations when Jo's voice had risen loud enough to rattle the window in its frame raised his head and blinked coldly at the French girl still standing in the doorway. He didn't know what she had said, but he assumed it hadn't been very complimentary, and noticed that the door was still slightly ajar. "If you're leaving, go already" he told her "shut the door if you're staying, but don't think for one minute that we're fucking stopping for you."

"Kanda!" Allen admonished, futilely trying to gather the twisted sheets around himself with his only usable arm while Kanda's arm at his waist prevented him from lifting the covers any higher.

Jo's eyes fell to the expanse of bare skin, tracing the scars and muscle unashamedly.

Kanda removed his hand, allowing Allen to draw the blanket over his shoulders. He wasn't stupid- he had seen the looks that the black haired girl had been casting in Allen's direction, the jealous sneers directed at Kanda and, though he didn't understand the words, the tone of voice conveyed Jo's feelings perfectly.

Jo hadn't understood Kanda's words any more than he understood hers, but she turned furious eyes on him anyway. _"Why are you here?"_ she cried desperately. _"You've ruined everything!"_

Allen, startled by the desperate tone and strange words, scrambled off Kanda's lap, dragging the sheet with him, knotting it about himself and grasping hold of the girl's shoulders. _"Jo, what's wrong? Did something happen?"_

Jo blinked up at him, hazel eyes wide and wet with tears. _"Why did you have to bring him here?"_ she sobbed, burying her face in her hands.

"_Him who?"_ Allen asked, perplexed. Of course, there was only one 'him' that Jo could be talking about. _"What? Kanda?"_ He looked over his shoulder at the man still sitting on the bed, fruitlessly trying to follow the conversation. _"Why?"_

"What's the matter with the stupid bitch?" Kanda asked, fully removing his coat as he sat up.

Allen frowned at the name-calling, but was too confused with the whole situation to admonish Kanda properly.

Jo sobbed brokenly, anger giving way to bitter sorrow. _"I thought…"_ she managed to articulate around her hiccupping sobs. _"Why not me?"_ she gasped out. _"Why him?"_ she knocked Allen's hands aside, making him take a step back in surprise. _"What's wrong with ME?"_

Allen blinked at her stupidly, not following at all. _"What's wrong with-? What do you mean? There's nothing wrong with you"_ he said with a frown.

"_Then why?"_ she burst out, her entire body shaking.

"Moyashi?" Kanda asked, stepping up behind Allen and putting his hands on his shoulders. He might have been at a loss when it came to the actual words spoken, but no one could miss Jo's desperate tone- it was clear that she was on the verge of a breakdown. "What's she saying?"

Allen gave Kanda a summary of Jo's outburst, but when he finished he was surprised to find that unlike himself, Kanda didn't look confused at all. In fact, he actually looked amused, though Allen could find nothing remotely funny about the situation at all. "What?" he asked sharply in response to Kanda's smug, knowing smirk.

"Stupid Beansprout" Kanda commented lightly. "The stupid girl thinks that she is in love with you."

Allen gaped unattractively. He tried to say something but all that came out was an undignified squeak. Eventually he managed a "huh?" which summed up his confusion quite effectively.

Kanda's smirk widened further, and if it were anyone else, it could almost have been classed as a grin. "She thought she actually had a chance with you." And he swept his gaze over Allen's sheet-shrouded form possessively, and it was clear what he thought of Jo's assessment of the situation.

Allen's face flushed, though whether it was from Kanda's appreciative expression or from embarrassment at the realisation of what Jo actually thought of him it was unclear. "Why?" he eventually asked, perplexed. He had done nothing to give Jo the impression that he felt anything beyond friendship, the protective older brother… not… nothing like _that_… he pulled a face and shuddered unconsciously. Kanda watched him, that amused expression lingering about his eyes as he saw what Allen thought about that. Allen noticed Kanda's expression and scowled at him, obviously unhappy that the older man was deriving any amusement from the situation at all. "Stop laughing, this isn't funny!" he snapped.

Kanda's expression changed not one iota.

Allen glared. Which didn't have any effect whatsoever. Deciding that ignoring Kanda would be the safest thing for his dignity (conveniently ignoring the fact that he was currently wrapped in only a bed sheet), he turned to Jo. _"Why? Why would you think that?"_

Jo sniffed ferociously and wiped her face on the back of her hands. _"You were so nice to me. You looked after me… I thought…"_

"_I thought you were a thirteen year old boy!"_ Allen exclaimed, speculating that he was still asleep and having a very strange dream, and if so could he wake up soon please?

"_And a half!"_ snapped Jo, bristling with anger. _"Maybe you would have preferred me to stay a boy!"_

Allen blinked, wondering just when everything had started to get so surreal. _"I was just being your friend- I was just trying to help you… I don't…"_ He shrugged helplessly. _"What did I do to make you think that?"_

Jo drew herself up, seeming to swell with fury and embarrassment. The calm, yet utterly bemused way that Allen was talking to her made her feel even worse. How could she have misjudged the situation so much? She had been so sure… Nobody had ever treated her the way that Allen had these last few weeks. She had actually felt loved for the first time in her life, felt like someone cared about where she was sleeping and whether she was getting enough to eat, whether she was happy or not… and thinking about it now, she knew that whatever she had thought about Allen's motives, he had indeed felt that way about her, purely because that was the type of person that he was. Seeing the way that he acted around his 'friend', the way that he looked at him, all helpless smiles and shining eyes, she knew that there was no way that he felt anything remotely romantic for her- he would never love her back.

Her rage and despair rose within her, pushing all rational thought from her mind.

There was no way that Allen hadn't known what she felt- she hadn't been subtle about it and no one could truly be that oblivious, so he must have been ignoring her attentions, even before his strange companion had arrived. And once he had, Allen must have been having a good laugh behind her back.

Even if he hadn't known that she was a girl, the way that he had been wrapped around his friend showed that he couldn't be all that fussy about gender, so the only explanation was that Allen was treating her attraction to him as a joke.

She hated that.

She hated _him_.

So she told him so.

"_How could you?" _she growled, eyes blazing, sorrow forgotten in the face of her rage. _"I'll never forgive you for doing this to me! I hate you!"_ she screamed at him, fists balled at her sides. It almost looked like she was going to take a swing at him and he stepped back cautiously just in case.

The she appeared to change her mind and spun on her heel, charging through the door and disappearing down the stairs.

Silence reigned.

Then Allen cleared his throat awkwardly, shuffling his feet a little to try and dispel the discomfort as he shrugged the trailing sheet more firmly around his shoulders. He couldn't quite meet Kanda's eyes, instead his gaze flitted around the room in an attempt to find his missing clothes.

"You're still injured, you shouldn't be out of bed" Kanda's voice, low and rough with some unknown emotion, almost startled him, and he couldn't have prevented the tensing of his shoulders if he had tried. He didn't look up, awkwardly shrugging a shirt on at the same time as keeping an iron grip on the sheet, all with only one fully-functioning hand.

He wasn't sure how mush use that was- someone had got him naked in the first place, and had therefore most likely got an eyeful- somehow he couldn't imagine Kanda standing idly by, watching as Jo stripped him.

"I'm fine" he said when he though he could do it without revealing just how aroused he was, and braced himself to actually meet Kanda's eyes. When he looked up however, the older exorcist was facing the wall, a hand brushing his hair aside in frustration.

Allen thought he heard him curse under his breath.

"I should go after her..." Allen said, buckling his belt as he took a step towards the still-open door.

He didn't get any further that that though, because suddenly the door was shut and Kanda was standing in front of it, arms crossed over his bare chest and dark scowl on his face.

"The fuck you should" he said. His voice didn't sound any different from his usual cool tone now, as though what had passed between them was nothing to him, already forgotten.

"I can't ignore this" Allen replied, squashing the unwelcome disappointment down- Kanda had sounded like he hadn't been affected at all. "I did something to her- I hurt her and I have to ack-!" Allen squawked in an undignified manner as Kanda grabbed him by the arm and dragged him to the bed. Ignoring how his body responded to Kanda's touch was difficult, but he managed, freeing his arm from Kanda's grip and scowling defiantly. "This is nothing to do with you" he snapped, backing up to claim some breathing space.

Kanda's scowl deepened and he glared back at Allen, dark eyes sparking with fury. "Nothing to do with me? The fuck, Moyashi?" He took a threatening step towards Allen, somehow managing to loom over the younger teen despite the meagre difference in height. "I saved your fucking life, you ungrateful piece of shit, and now its nothing to do with me whether you rush out blindly and get yourself killed?" He was breathing heavily, his nostrils flared and arms tense across his chest, as though he was restraining himself from attacking Allen where he stood.

Allen didn't think he'd ever seen Kanda in such a rage before- sure he'd been angry enough to take a swing at him with Mugen, but this was different to the cold, almost emotionless was they had interacted in the past. Allen knew that the obvious explanation for Kanda's new attitude was what had passed between them not so long ago, but he didn't understand why that quick fumble would have such an effect on the man.

And suddenly this was all his fault!

Allen scowled. "So, I'm in your debt now , is that it? You saved my life, and I _owe_ you something?" His voice dropped to a low growl, deep and dangerous, and he stalked forward, trying to crowd Kanda back against the door. "Never mind," he breathed, "the number of times we've saved each other's lives on missions." He was most definitely in Kanda's personal space and the Asian man tensed further still, for all appearances not at all threatened by Allen's presence, though the way that his eyes flicked to the side for a moment told the truth.

"Never mind," Allen whispered in Kanda's ear, his body pressed against his and hands either side of Kanda's head, holding him a cage of flesh and bone, "that I brought you back from the fucking dead. And you call me ungrateful?" Allen's voice rasped, though it was something other than pure anger that drove him now. His breath hitched and his voice broke as he let his head fall onto Kanda's bare shoulder. "I give up. I don't understand you at all. I really like you, you stupid prick, but I don't understand you. What do you want from me?" He took a deep breath and looked up, braving Kanda's eyes as he pleaded. "Please Kanda... I give up. Whatever you want, you can have it, just please tell me..."

Kanda's brain... stopped working. He stared down at Allen's eyes, noticing for the first time that the brown wasn't as deep as it had been before, and slivers of grey were seeping through. He vaguely wondered why that he didn't care. He had more important things to worry about now.

Like why Allen had gone from frankly scary to this broken-down, worn-out child, pleading for an explanation that Kanda couldn't, wouldn't, shouldn't give, because if he did, it would be enormous, terrifying, terrific- everything would change, they'd have no control, an Kanda didn't know whether he could live his life that way.

But Allen was here, now, pressed against him, offering everything of himself, anything that Kanda wanted in exchange for a _why_.

Why was Kanda so affected by the things that Allen did? Why did Kanda care?

Well, that was a question and an answer all in one. Kanda cared because he did, it was as simple as that- he didn't need complex explanations or heartfelt declarations- he cared about Allen because he _was_ Allen.

He didn't think that that would satisfy Allen though, and he was never that good with words anyway, so he uncrossed his arms, catching Allen's hurt disbelieving look as the motion dislodged him from his resting place.

Kanda scoffed. If he really wanted Allen to move, the British teen would know about it. But Allen was tired and emotionally exhausted and had never been that good at reading people anyway, so he supposed the reaction was forgivable.

With a sigh Kanda wrapped his arms around Allen's back and dragged him close again, dropping his head onto Allen's shoulder and tried to explain without words what he was feeling.

He wouldn't apologise of course, but instead searched for something to say that could have passed for one in a dark alley at night while you were drunk.

Nope, nothing.

Dammit.

"I don't want anything _from _you" he said, giving up and shutting off the part of his brain that policed his words. "I just want you."

He cringed internally. Really, what the fuck was that? He suddenly wished he was holding Mugen so he could kill himself with it. And then the Beansprout. In that order.

Only, his thoughts of murder-suicide (or rather suicide-murder) were cut off by hands in his hair and a mouth on his.

Allen wasn't sure what he had expected Kanda to say, but a simple statement of desire was not it. If anything, a denial, or a complete avoidance of the topic, but not- not _this._

Of course, the only viable response that he could make was to shut Kanda up and distract him before he realised what he had said and decided to murder him in a fit of embarrassed pique.

The way that Kanda's arms tightened around Allen's back, one hand sliding up to the back of his neck and the other moving to sit lightly on his waist, fingers dipping beneath his belt to rest on his arse told Allen that subjecting him to a violent death in the name of pride was the last thing on Kanda's mind at the moment, but he couldn't quite understand what the hell he was doing. Why did all his arguments amount to nothing right now?

What in the name of all that was Holy did he think he was doing?

He wanted Kanda, he couldn't deny that (he knew he couldn't- he'd been trying forever), but that didn't mean that he could have him. There was too much going on in his life- he was on the run, for God's sake! And Kanda would have to go back to the Order at some point- Allen could hardly waltz back into Headquarters, could he?

Not to mention that thanks to Tyki Mikk, the other Noah and the Earl himself would know that he was living in disguise away from the protection of the Order.

But he was tired of it all, utterly fed up of giving and giving and not getting anything in return, no matter what he did. If he never got anything else in his life, he'd be happy with just having Kanda, even for a little while.

And just like that, all of his arguments, his defences, his excuses were all washed away.

0o0o0o0

Jo couldn't believe it. Tears still clouded her eyes as she stumbled blindly down the stairs, bursting through the door with a single minded necessity to just get _away_. The sunlight washed the alleyway that the complex opened out onto in yellow warmth, but she was oblivious to it, dashing the tears from her eyes desperately as she turned and sprinted away over the cobbles, feet meandering awkwardly over the uneven ground.

She clapped her hand over her mouth, stifling the sob that wanted to break free, and staggered sideways into a wall, her other hand splayed across the brickwork in an attempt to remain upright. While she had been in that room she had been able to remain strong and defiant, but now she was alone… She sank to her knees, head bowed as she gave herself over to mild hysteria for a moment.

She had honestly thought that Allen had felt something for her. Okay, at first he had though that she was a boy, but Allen had still taken her in, and after so much time spent around each other, surely Allen had not been incapable of noticing the strange idiosyncrasies that surrounded his roommate. No one was _that_ oblivious. Were they?

Allen had been warm and kind and had looked after her. She had been so sure that Allen knew her secret but was refraining from mentioning anything, unsure of how to broach the subject that his thirteen (and a half) year old male roommate was actually his _sixteen_ year old _female_ roommate. Obviously she had been wrong and it _hurt_. It hurt so much… In Allen she had found a kindred spirit. He had known the life she lived, he hadn't pitied her, he had accepted her for the person she was… well, except for the fact that he thought she was a boy at any rate… Her splayed hand clenched into a fist that she pounded against the unforgiving brick again and again and again. She had let him into her life like no other. Punch. She had trusted him with all her secrets. Punch. She thought she had loved him. Punch. She thought that he loved _her. _Punch. Blood smeared the rough brick with every blow, the skin on her knuckles ragged and red. He was _gay_. Punch. She hated him. She hated him with ever fibre of her being. Both him and the girly-man. They had ruined her life. Punch. This time there was an odd sickening crack as one of her knuckles gave way under the onslaught, popping out of place. She sobbed in pain, collapsing on all fours, head bowed, cradling her hand against her chest.

She hated him, and she was going to get even.

Like that, the pain was gone, leaving nothing but a dull weary ache that she was able to ignore. It was like someone had lit a fire in her heart, burning with a passionate rage that would not be sated until she had satisfied this urge to bring Allen Walker and the damn girly-man he was so infatuated with to their knees. A sly sneer crossed her face, twisting her pleasant features into something ugly and primal.

It was then, after making this silent vow to herself that she realised that she was no longer alone, and that a man was watching her from the other end of the street. He was wearing neither suit nor hat, but despite that, he appeared exceedingly well dressed, his shirt, unbuttoned at the collar and cuffs rolled to the elbow, was pristine white and his black trousers pressed to perfection. His shoes were polished to a high shine, and all-in-all he looked extremely out of place in this dingy alley. His hands were buried in his pockets, a cigarette drooping at an angle from his lips, which were pulled back in a smile that, although there was no reason for it to seem so, appeared slightly sinister.

She wiped her face hastily with her uninjured hand, using the blood-smeared wall to help her gain her feet.

The man said nothing as he observed her, before appearing to come to an abrupt decision and _stalking_ towards her. No human had a right to walk like that, she thought, it was… predatory, and if the smile he had been wearing before hadn't alerted her to the danger that this man presented, then the way he moved was a dead give away. Still, she drew herself up, trying to appear unafraid, still using the wall for support as she glared defiantly at him.

The man loomed over her, not quite near enough to invade her personal bubble, but close enough that he was pushing at the boundaries. He was extremely good looking, in a clean-cut, smooth, suave sort of way. Nothing like the kind of men that Jo was used to dealing with.

When he spoke, he did so in fluid French with no hint of an accent of any sort. _"Let me see your hand"_ he instructed. It was a gentle command, but there was no escaping the order in the words.

For some reason, she found that she couldn't disobey. She held her injured hand out mutely, trying to meet his eyes, but finding her own gaze drawn elsewhere, unable to make contact. They finally settled on his cheek, smooth and perfect save for the blemish of a beauty mark below his left eye, but such a small flaw did not detract from his looks at all, rather it added a certain something to the otherwise faultless perfection of his face.

A sharp pain in her hand made her look down in surprise. The man had his fingers _inside_ her hand, nimbly realigning her displaced knuckle. It hurt… but she was too overcome with awe at the fact that the man had just fixed her broken joint without spilling so much as a drop of blood that she could ignore it.

"_Who are you?"_ she whispered, though what she really wanted to ask was _what are you?_

The man smiled at her, making a sweeping bow that was both polite and mocking all at once. _"Just a gentleman concerned for the welfare of a lady in distress" _he murmured, caressing the hand he still held before bringing it lightly to his lips.

Despite herself, Jo flushed. _"How did you do that?"_ she asked, her voice nothing but a faint mumble on the air. Her gaze was still fixed on their joined hands, his thumb now brushing back and forth absently. Perhaps he was like… _him_ and his girly-man _boyfriend_. _"Are… are you an exorcist too?"_

The man smiled softly. _"No, I am something much more. I am truly chosen by God."_

She blinked at him. _"You're not an exorcist?"_ She shook her head, it didn't matter. This man, whoever he was, no matter what strange powers he had, was the first to treat her like the lady she was in years. _"Never mind" _she said with a smile. _"It's none of my business."_

The man gripped her hand tighter. _"Does that mean you have had contact with exorcists? Are you alright? They didn't hurt you, did they?"_

"_Hurt me?"_ Jo asked, confused. Alle… _he_ had said exorcists were warriors of God, why would they have hurt her? _"What do you mean? Why would they have…?"_

"_Oh thank goodness!" _the man exclaimed, cutting her off. _"You managed to get away!"_ He wrapped both his arms around her and pulled her to his chest, hugging her in relief. _"I'm so glad!"_

"_But I don't understand"_ she confessed, drawing back a little to look up into his face. _"Why would they have hurt me?"_

"_Exorcists are bad people"_ the man explained, relaxing his hold a little, allowing her move away slightly. _"They lure innocent people in, tell them lies and give empty promises."_

She looked at him sceptically. Sure… _he _had taken her in, gained her trust… but she could more see him deliberately causing her pain as she could see… her thoughts stuttered to a standstill. As she could see him naked straddling the lap of another man. And that other man definitely seemed the sort that would have no problems hurting other people.

The man seemed to see the realisation in her eyes and nodded solemnly. _"You see? You were lucky to get away when you did. Now dry your eyes, you are safe with me."_

She nodded, sniffing and scrubbing her face with her hands. _"Thank you" _she said with a small smile, no longer afraid of this man. How could someone so kind be so dangerous? _"I'm Jo, Jo King. What's your name?"_

"_A pleasure to meet you, Miss King. My name is Tyki Mikk."_

_0o0o0o0o0_


	17. Chapter 17

THIS IS AN M-RATED CHAPTER! DO NOT READ IF GUY-ON-GUY GRAPHIC SEX IS NOT YOUR THING!

* * *

So here it is. I am really sorry about the wait! And before you get excited, this is just a bonus, lemon-filled chapter that actually has no bearing on the story at all, so you're getting no hints about the sequel here! Just thought I'd post this, let you all know I'm still alive and writing and to put a definite end to _Decline_. I realise that this arc ends rather abruptly and many readers were sending me messages asking if I realised that_ Decline_ was marked as completed when it obviously wasn't. This led me to make two conclusions 1- people wanted to read more of the story, which of course is motivation for writing more, and 2- people don't read my author's notes. Therefore, I don't even know why I'm putting this here... hmmm.

Enjoy!

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Chapter Seventeen- Epilogue

Kanda tipped Allen backwards onto the bed as gently a he could, mindful of his injured arm and shoulder. The expression on Allen's face told him that he need not have bothered- it appeared that the pain of his wounds were the last thing on Allen's mind right now.

Vaguely thinking that undressing Allen would have been much easier half an hour ago when he had been wearing just as sheet, Kanda started on the sloppily buttoned shirt. He was determined that whatever happened later he'd at least get to see Allen shirtless again before the end of the night.

Allen seemed of the same mind, tearing the unfastened shirt from his body as soon as the last button was freed, his left hand running over Kanda's muscled back as though he was memorising every inch of skin.

Kanda had to pause a moment, savouring the sensation of Allen's rough-fingered innocence hand scratching lightly as his sweat-slicked skin before lowering his mouth to Allen's in a furious kiss.

It was as though the kiss had flicked a switch in their minds. Allen groaned huskily into Kanda's mouth as he ground their hips together, his neck arching as his back bowed with pleasure, even though his motions were limited thanks to the weight of the other man pressing him into the bed.

Kanda felt the hand that had been previously mapping his back begin tugging imperiously on his trousers, actually managing to slide them an inch or so over his hips before Kanda sat back, removing both his trousers and himself from Allen's reach, an almost panicked look on his face. He looked down in concern at the man sprawled across the bed beneath him.

Allen scowled hazily in return. "What?" he snapped, pushing up on one elbow and probably sounding far more desperate than he wanted to.

Kanda frowned doubtfully. "You were stripping me…" he accused, almost uncertainly.

"Yes…" Allen agreed, a little exasperated. "And I'd very much like to continue to do so, if you'd be so kind as to get back over here. Please." He added almost as an afterthought.

If anything, Kanda's frown deepened, but it wasn't with anger, at least. "But… why?"

Allen blinked. "Why?" he echoed, perplexed. "What did you think was going on here?" His eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What _did_ you think was going on here?"

A small embarrassed flush spread across Kanda's nose. "I just wasn't expecting…" he trailed off and seemed to pull himself together, crossing his arms and arranging his face into his usual scowl. "You're not the one in charge of this" he stated firmly with a decisive nod, as though that was that. In truth he was more than a little nervous at Allen's enthusiasm. He hadn't given much thought to what would happen once he'd finally got Allen naked, and for some reason, being naked himself had never even entered his head.

Allen didn't know whether to laugh or not, though the expression on Kanda's face suggested that laughing would not be the best idea.

While he tried to decide on the best course of action, he gaped unattractively, blinking slowly and running his now empty hand over the bedclothes absently. Eventually he cleared his throat. "Are you serious?" he asked hesitantly, just to make sure. He'd never _heard_ of Kanda cracking a joke, but that wasn't to say that miracles couldn't happen.

The increasingly murderous look that Kanda was spearing him with said yes, Kanda was deadly serious.

"Ok" Allen said with a nod, "you are." He glanced to the side, wondering whether he dared voice his thoughts. "It's just that…." He knew he was flushing bright red and decided to just say it.

"Hayooverdunythinlithisefore?"

Kanda stared at him blankly.

With a sigh, Allen came to the conclusion that someone, somewhere, hated him. He glanced at the ceiling, silently blaming God for his current predicament.

"Have you ever done anything like this before? Not that I don't trust you or anything, but it's different than being with a girl and you seemed a little anxious and-" he gave a nervous little giggle, realising what he had just said, and buried his face in his hand. "Go ahead, just kill me now."

Kanda glared at him, but no glare was enough to disguise the faint blush that spread elegantly over his nose and flushed his cheeks a delicate pink. "Che, stupid Moyashi" he sniffed, turning his nose in the air and looking to the side, arms folded across his bare chest. All in all he looked rather awkward.

Still, he was never one to let his nerves interfere with any aspect of his life, so Kanda took Allen's hand in a powerful grip, tangling the other in unruly brown hair and mashing their lips together in a forceful kiss that threatened to make Allen's knees buckle.

He grasped whatever part of Kanda he could with his injured hand, dragging the appendage free from the sling without care for further damage, running his fingers over Kanda's shoulders and splaying them across his chest, his rough-fingered hand sliding across a nipple as Kanda crushed them closer with bruising force.

The older man pulled away just enough to free his mouth and growl two words that were enough to turn Allen's insides to jelly. "Show me."

Allen had no illusions as to whom would be topping whom that night- he couldn't even begin to imagine Kanda giving up the so-called dominant role, but that didn't matter- he couldn't think of anything better than Kanda's body over him, and had long since perfected the art of topping from the bottom to such a degree that only he would notice it.

He closed the distance between them, giving Kanda a quick, unsatisfying peck on the lips before grinning crookedly at him. "it would be my pleasure" he purred, taking both of Kanda's hands in his and drawing him the rest of the way to the bed.

When the back of his knees hit the mattress he let go of Kanda's hands and reclined back onto the bed, throwing his arms over his head like a sacrificial offering. He thoroughly enjoyed the way that Kanda's eyes darkened further as he watched the action, his tongue darting out to wet his lips as his gaze trailed scorching down his body, lingering on his bare chest and sweeping down to his still clothed crotch. He arch and wriggled a little, which immediately drew Kanda's eyes back to his face. The man looked a little guilty for staring.

Allen grinned at him and crooked a finger, inviting the other man closer. "You won't be able to do much from there, lover," he murmured, trailing his own gaze down Kanda's body, watching it respond to the heated look.

Kanda approached as though in a daydream, stumbling artlessly to the bed. Allen considered it the greatest gift he could receive to see Kanda come apart like this, and they'd hardly even begun yet.

Arms came down either side of his head, his wrists pinned by sword-calloused hands and a mouth was very close to his ear. "You," Kanda breathed "are a tease, Moyashi, and you're going to regret it."

"Oh really?" Allen said, turning his face so he could see Kanda's face better. He arched up, brushing his hips against Kanda's as he straddled him. "If this is how you plan to punish me, I'm having trouble seeing the down side."

Kanda apparently decided that words were overrated and crushed their mouths together roughly, catching Allen's lower lip in his teeth and biting harshly before pulling back to observe the results. Allen's earlier cockiness had vanished, he now looked dazed, pupils blown and breath rasping in a suddenly dry throat. "Now whose the tease?" Allen panted, trying and failing to free his wrists. Not that he tried very hard at all, but the motion was enough to remind Kanda of the position they were in.

"Don't move" he growled, slowly releasing the captured wrists and sitting up. Allen obeyed the command, remaining splayed in the prone position he had first presented himself in.

Kanda's hands skated down his sides before making short work of Allen's belt and flinging it open without bothering to pull it from the loops and yanking the button undone and tearing the fly down.

Apparently Kanda was over-hasty when nervous, which Allen decided was something that needed rectifying sooner rather than later. Quicker than the other man expected him to be able to move, he drew his legs from underneath Kanda's splayed thighs and toppled them both over. Before Kanda could complain, Allen's mouth was sucking on his throat and his skilful fingers were slowly back to pulling off Kanda's trousers.

"What are you doing?" Kanda asked from his position beneath Allen, sounding outraged.

"Hush" Allen growled against his throat, drawing the clothing from Kanda's body inch by each torturous, agonisingly slow inch. "You wanted to learn, didn't you? Lesson one: not everything is better faster." He gave that crooked grin again as he tossed Kanda's clothes over his shoulder, shuffling down the bed a little to give himself a bit more room to work. He doubted Kanda would be wearing the expression he was if he had any idea of what was coming. "Lesson two: some things _are_" and without further warning he pulled the entire length of Kanda's cock into his mouth. Kanda had definitely not seen that coming if the surprised half-shout, half-moan that burst from his mouth was anything to go by.

When Kanda's shocked gaze met his own, Allen winked and proceeded to swallow even more of the rigid length. He had to give Kanda credit- better men had come immediately after such a move. He decided to test Kanda's endurance further, relaxing his throat and swallowing once before pulling back a little and using his tongue in every way imaginable to tease him. He knew he'd have to stop when he felt Kanda suddenly tense beneath him- the only indication that he had that Kanda was getting close, up till now the man had been disappointedly silent. As much as he enjoyed pushing Kanda, an early release would put his ultimate plans on hold and he wasn't feeling particularly patient at the moment.

With one last, lingering lick across the leaking head of Kanda's cock, he sat back, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand and smacking his lips with apparent relish.

Kanda looked torn between amused and pissed off, so Allen thought that proceeding would be in his best interests. He lay back, his legs either side of Kanda's body, one arm folded beneath his head and the other hand lazily stroking his own so-far neglected erection.

Kanda watched hungrily, getting on his hands and knees and crawling over Allen's body, trailing small kisses and teasing licks as he went. When he reached Allen's face he kissed him roughly, putting all his weight behind their contact and relishing the ease with which Allen opened up to him.

He drew back slightly, watching Allen's eyes blink hazily open. "I am going to fuck you" he said in a low serious voice, stroking Allen's scarred check with the back of his hand and placing a small kiss on the tip of Allen's nose. the tender actions were at odds with his coarse words, but they made Allen smile nonetheless. Kanda was not a verbose man, and Allen had long since learned to read what Kanda was truly trying to say through actions.

He turned his head, catching the fingers trailing down his cheek in his mouth and wrapping his tongue around the long digits. Kanda watched in fascination before pulling his fingers free, and with eyes still fixed on Allen's face, trailed them down his body, slipping behind his balls and gently probed his entrance. Allen sucked in a breath when the first finger breached him and immediately Kanda stopped, afraid he'd hurt him. Allen smiled, and it was only a little strained, grasping Kanda's arm and pushing the finger further inside himself, ignoring the slight burn as he was stretched open.

"Don't stop" he ordered, letting go of Kanda's arm in favour of pushing the long black hair trailing over Kanda's shoulder behind his ear.

Kanda still looked unsure, so Allen arched his hips suddenly and bore down on the finger, pushing it fully inside himself. He couldn't help the small sound of pain that escaped him at the sudden forceful penetration, nor the few small hot tears that were squeezed from his eyes.

"Shit Moyashi, what the fuck did you do that for?" Kanda stared down at Allen, horrified that he'd done that to himself.

"I'm not a damned girl, Kanda, stop treating me like I'll break!" Allen snapped, angrily dashing the tears aside and glaring up at the other man. "You said you were going to fuck me, so do it, damn it!"

Still looking unsure, Kanda gave Allen a sharp, jerky nod, rapidly moving the single finger in an effort to try and widen Allen's passage before he added another, stoically ignoring the less-than-pleasured hiss that escaped Allen's clenched teeth as he scissored his fingers even though part of his mind wanted to stop and forget the whole thing. Surely the sex wasn't worth this much pain? Fortunately for Allen, and Kanda, who would have surely met his end at Allen's hands, the part of his mind that was ruled by his dick was larger than his conscience, and he forced, as gently as he could, a third finger in beside the others.

Allen was panting harshly now, gusts of air forced in and out of his nose, but at least his eyes were open and fixed on Kanda's face, silently willing him on. Without warning, Allen's eyes flew open and he gasped noisily, his back arching, taut as a bowstring.

Kanda frowned and moved his fingers in the same motion again, curiously watching Allen's reaction with hungry eyes. He felt the strange, definitely _different_ gland under his fingertips at the same moment as Allen bowed again, the noise he made this time ringing in the air as a fully-fledged moan of pleasure.

Kanda smirked, glad that finally Allen seemed to be enjoying himself and rubbed his fingers along the inner walls again, pressing and probing until he felt that spot once more. Using two fingers, he kept up a constant assault and Allen's erection, which had wilted a little with the pain of being stretched, sprung back to life again. The older man rewarded it with a small lick, not sure whether he'd like having _that_ part of Allen anywhere near his mouth, but it wasn't horrible, so he got braver, taking more of Allen into his mouth and sucking lightly at the same time as rubbing the prostate beneath his fingers.

Allen flung his head back and _groaned_, the noise deep and animalistic and uncontrolled and it made Kanda feel very smug. Suddenly Allen's knuckles whitened as he gripped the bed sheet beneath him. "Kanda... 'm gonna..." but that was all he managed to get out before he came, taking Kanda by surprise. He'd been so busy watching Allen's face that he hadn't been paying attention to the rest of his body. He choked a little, some of Allen's release escaping his mouth, but swallowed manfully, licking his lips as he met Allen's eyes.  
The brown of his iris had all but vanished, swallowed by the dilated pupil, and Allen stared at Kanda hungrily, though there was something like surprise in his expression too. And something indefinable, something fierce yet tender that Kanda could not put a name to. Not that he was going to try right now, not when orgasmic shudders trembled through the body beneath him, the body that was now utterly relaxed and waiting for him.

Forgetting that he had never done this before, he moved on autopilot, moving further up the bed and guiding himself to Allen's prepared entrance. He wasted no time in going slow- Allen had told him that he wasn't fragile, and now they were going to prove it. He drove himself in fully, not stopping to let Allen get used to the feeling of being overly filled before pulling back and thrusting forward again. On the third thrust he hit Allen's already over-sensitive prostate and the man beneath him screamed, his neck arching and baring a beautiful unblemished throat for Kanda to mark. And how could he refuse such an invitation? He leaned forward, catching the skin of Allen's throat between his teeth, biting firmly before sucking a red mark onto the tanned skin.

"Oh God!" Allen gasped hoarsely when Kanda had released his neck, wrapping his legs around Kanda's waist and pulling him closer. This also had the effect of limiting Kanda's movement, so he disentangled himself from the legs encircling him, pushing them back against Allen's heaving chest, all without breaking rhythm. Allen cried out again as the change of positions forced Kanda even deeper, his inner muscles clenching around Kanda's cock and just like that Kanda was coming, his perfect rhythm shot to hell and arms trembling as he released inside Allen's body.

With a sound that was almost a groan, he pitched forward, only just remembering to throw his arms out and stop himself from squishing Allen between his chest and the bed. He rolled to the side, pulling out as he did so. Allen's pained hiss made him frown, but the other man just gave him a beatific smile and wriggled closer, pressing his nose to Kanda's throat. When he spoke his voice was rough and hoarse from shouting. "Jesus Kanda, for a virgin you really know what you're doing."

Kanda couldn't quite figure out if that was a compliment or not, so stayed silent.

"Mmm" Allen sighed, flinging an arm over Kanda's sweat-slicked chest and pressing his body as close as he could. "We were supposed to be packing" he mumbled accusingly.

"If you want to move" Kanda said around a yawn, pushing his nose into damp dark hair, absently wishing it was the white he was used to seeing on this man, "then go ahead. I'm going to sleep."

His answer was a soft snore.

"Che," Kanda muttered as he settled down beneath the covers he'd just managed to rescue from the floor, tucking the other man as close to his side as he possibly could without pulling Allen on top of him. "Stupid Moyashi."

* * *

And because I am the nicest author alive (not one word) I have posted the prologue to the sequel, hereby christened "Credence" after this epilogue. Have a sneak peek on me! (well, not a peek on me, obviously, because that would be weird) You know what I mean. Thanks for sticking around people. Lovage, Rika X.


	18. Chapter 18

So here it is. The prologue of Credence. I'm posting this to prove that the sequel DOES exist, and if I continue at therate I'm going, should be posted at the beginning of December. But for now, enjoy!

* * *

Credence

Prologue

Allen rolled over sleepily without opening his eyes. He felt a little stiff, but, he supposed, after the night before, he should be grateful that he was only suffering a little stiffness. A rather silly grin spread across his face at the thought.

"What the fuck are you smirking at, idiot?" Kanda's sharp voice broke the relaxed silence in the room with all the subtlety of a brick through a window.

Allen blinked his eyes open slowly, focussing on Kanda's face where it floated above him. Despite the prickly tone, Kanda's face was free of his usual scowl; one corner of his mouth quirked up when he saw Allen looking at him, which for Kanda was as good as a full-fledged grin.

Allen said nothing, rolling onto his side and propping his head onto his elbow. Kanda's hand came to a rest on his bare waist, thumb sweeping back and forth across smooth skin absently. "What?" he said eventually, when Kanda's eyes refused to leave his face and the gentle motions of his thumb threatened to send him back to sleep.

Kanda didn't reply, though the faintest of flushes spread rather prettily across his nose as he leaned over and pressed his lips to Allen's.

The kiss was hesitant and soft, as though Kanda was unsure whether it would be welcome, despite what had passed between them the night before. Allen snorted internally. As if he'd have allowed _anything_ to have occurred between them if he'd thought that he'd have regretted it the following morning.

To prove it, he threaded his hand in the still loose hair at the back of Kanda's neck and brought them closer together, pressing his mouth fully onto Kanda's and sliding his tongue provocatively across the older man's lower lip.

A rough noise that might have been a moan had it been allowed to fully develop trembled from Kanda's lips and into Allen's mouth as Kanda's hand slid from Allen's waist and up his side, trailing along his back and burying long fingers into tangled brown hair.

Allen's head was pulled back so that Kanda could see his face, resting their foreheads together and breathing heavily.

"No regrets then?" Kanda asked, just to be sure. He hated revealing that he felt anything even like insecure to anybody, but Allen had changed his mind before, and Kanda needed to make sure that Allen knew exactly what he was getting himself into. Kanda had wanted him for quite some time, even if he hadn't realised it, and now that he had had him, he didn't ever want to go back to how it was before.

"Never," Allen breathed, his eyes slightly glazed, and he blinked a few times, trying to bring Kanda's face into focus, but struggling because of the lack of distance between them. He let go of Kanda's hair and brought his hand round to Kanda's face, cupping his jaw tenderly as a small smile broke out across his face. "_Never"_ he emphasised.

"Well good," Kanda sniffed haughtily. "Because I'd have to kill you if you did." And he tried not to feel too offended when Allen laughed at him.

* * *

0o0o0o0

* * *

Josephine King was no coward. Life on the streets had taught her that in order to survive, she had to be scarier than anyone else. Granted, that hadn't been entirely achievable- as a child it had been impossible _not _to be afraid of some of the adults who stalked the city's streets, especially since she had a desperate secret to hide as well as her general well-being to be concerned about. If any of the thugs that she came into contact with on a daily basis had realised that 'Joe' was actually Josephine, then who knew where she'd have ended up.

Of course, who knew where she would have ended up without Allen's interference?

She shook that thought away. That part of her life was over now.

Last night, Tyki had taken her to an upmarket hotel, booked her into her own private suite of rooms, and then this morning, he had taken her shopping.

Shopping. In Paris.

Well, of course, shopping full-stop was still a novelty. All her life she had had to steal to survive. Why pay for something that she could get for free? It was only after Allen… she cut that thought of there, before it could take her down a road she had no wish to go down.

But Tyki was different. He had treated her like a lady, something she found new and exciting. She had been pretending to be a boy for so long, she had almost forgotten what it was like to wear a skirt.

Now she had a new, complete wardrobe. Hats and gloves, corsets and petticoats, dresses with trumpet-shaped skirts that clung to her hips and rustled luxuriously as she walked. Heeled boots and shawls, bonnets and parasols, skirts and blouses, beach wear and evening gowns of silk that draped from her shoulders and hung in a shimmering train. Jo had never even _seen_ half the styles and colours that her newly-stocked wardrobe contained. And Tyki spoilt her rotten. Anything she admired, it was hers. Diamonds and gold, glittering sapphires and emeralds, she now owned more jewellery than she had thought existed, broaches and hatpins, rings and necklaces, it was endless.

And as she promenaded back to the hotel on his arm along the banks of the Seine, she had noticed the admiring looks that they had attracted.

Tyki had not attempted to get close to her though, which puzzled her a little. From what she had seen growing up, it was typical for a man to spend his money buying trinkets for his whore, and the fact that Tyki didn't seem to _want_ anything from her just confused her more. Surely the man would not be spending so much of his money and time on her if he _didn't_ want something from her.

Sure, he had taken her away from… _them_, saved her from going back into danger. He was a man of God, after all… maybe he didn't _do_ that, like a monk. She pondered this. As far as she knew, monks were dirty old men with grabby hands that lusted after young boys, not handsome, suave young gentlemen who spoke to her softly, like she was something precious. That worried her. Tyki was treating her like something fragile, easily broken, as if she had not spent the formative years of her life crawling through gutters. She wondered if that was because of how he had found her, having a breakdown and punching a solid brick wall to vent her frustration. Maybe she had been in more danger than she thought, those few weeks she spent in Allen's company.

Dammit. She swiped at her eyes angrily, wiping her cheeks on a lace-edged handkerchief and accidentally smearing the delicate rouge she had dabbed there. She promised herself that she would not cry any more, Allen Walker and his… _boyfriend_ (and how that thought made her shudder- she had been attracted to a dammed _homosexual_), were part of a life that she wasn't part of anymore, and if she heard _his_ name mentioned every again, it would be too soon.

* * *

0o0o0o0

* * *

"Allen Walker?"

Tyki picked at his fingernails with an air on complete unconcern. "That's what I said, isn't it?"

"Our sources say he disappeared from the Order months ago. What is he doing turning up in France?" Lulubell frowned, pulling her blonde ponytail over her shoulder and finger combing it.

"He wasn't alone either" Tyki added with a grin, a magician pulling off a great trick. "That sword-wielding exorcist was with him, the Japanese one."

Lulubell's tiny frown deepened ever so slightly. "I'm not sure I understand" she admitted, though she seemed untroubled by the inaccuracy of her information. "Our source said that Walker had abandoned the Order, a traitor, no longer one of the fold." She grimaced as the ambiguity of the situation truly struck her. "So what would an exorcist be doing with him? Has more than one exorcist turned their back on the order?"

"I don't think that he'd turned his back on the Order," Tyki said with a sly grin. "I just think that being around Walker has some benefits that he'd rather not go without."

It took a lot to surprise the female Noah, but the expression on her face now as she realised what Tyki was hinting at was pure unadulterated shock. "What?"

"Not that I blame him…" the male Noah mused thoughtfully, continuing as though Lulubell had not spoken. "Walker has always been attractive, and even disguised…" he trailed off, licking his lips suggestively.

The other Noah lifted her head and sniffed disdainfully. "You and your deviance sicken me. Now, what of the girl?"

Tyki shrugged, a motion that showed his supreme unconcern. "She's lived with the brat, she might know something. And when her usefulness has been served, I'll get rid of her. You think Rhode would like a new doll?"


End file.
